


elvis kind of love

by gaypurgatory, wynhaaught



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, takes place after 3x03
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:15:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 65,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27183688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaypurgatory/pseuds/gaypurgatory, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wynhaaught/pseuds/wynhaaught
Summary: Rosita Bustillos was told to run and never stop running after she made a huge mistake with the Heir and her family. Waverly Earp thinks she sees Rosita in the city near Purgatory... Which would be totally insane, right? When it keeps happening, Waverly decides to follow the girl and find out where she's been hiding--but not because she wants to hunt her. She wants reconciliation for a friend she's hated losing all this time. Could their kiss mean more to them than either are willing to admit?Or, the RoseWaves AU where they're deeply in love and realize that they understand each other better than anyone else. Also, Rosie's obsessed with Elvis and has never been in love... Until now.
Relationships: Rosita Bustillos/Waverly Earp, Wynonna Earp/Nicole Haught
Comments: 86
Kudos: 68





	1. the reconciliation

The first time Waverly thinks she sees Rosita, she convinces herself that she’s just hallucinating or wishing for the time when Rosita was her friend. Rosita had been one of the only friends that matched her in smarts and took the time to hear her out when she was upset.

The revenant had been there for Waverly when Wynonna and Doc were busy with other things… And Nicole had really let her down. In hindsight, Waverly realized her overreaction--again, because of Rosita. 

Since Alice had been sent away, Wynonna barely talks to her, Doc doesn’t talk at all, and Nicole seems to be more preoccupied with work than ever. Her mind’s been wandering to Rosita, wishing she could ask for her wisdom. 

She chalks it up to wishful thinking. 

***

The second time Waverly thinks she sees Rosita is after a small fight with Nicole. 

_ “Nicole, what’s wrong?”  _

_ Nicole doesn’t look at her girlfriend. She plays with the sleeves on her sweater, sitting on the couch in Waverly’s room. She chews on the inside of her lip and shrugs.  _

_ “Did I do something?” Waverly asks, sitting down beside her girlfriend.  _

_ “Kinda,” Nicole replies, shortly.  _

_ “What? So I can fix it…”  _

_ “The thing you said… At the bar--” Nicole flexes her hands and places them on her own knees. “When I was having a panic attack. Kind of hurt my feelings what you said in the bathroom…”  _

_ Waverly’s eyebrows pull together and she thinks. The day had been a blur… vampires and all. “What did I say?”  _

_ Nicole sighs and looks away. Waverly notices that her jaw drops and pulls to the side like she’s annoyed. “How I’m ‘usually your rock’ but I was having a panic attack… I’m sorry I couldn’t keep it together, Waves. I don’t know what came over me.”  _

_ Waverly remembers and slaps her hand against her forehead. “God, that was-- so-- stupid. I don’t know why I said that.” That’s a lie. She knows she was being selfish and she had corrected herself there! But, said it under her breath. “Nicole, I’m so sorry. I know you couldn’t help it. It just… took me by surprise.” _

_ The redhead scoffs and stands up from the couch. “Well, Waves, I’m sorry  _ my  _ panic attack took  _ you _ by surprise. I’ll try to give a warning next time.”  _

_ “No, wait-- That’s not what--” Waverly turns her body to follow Nicole’s movements, still seated.  _

_ “Then what?” Nicole asks, shoving her hands in her pockets.  _

_ Waverly flails internally. How does she make it better? “You’re always so put together about everything and I hadn’t seen that side of you--”  _

_ Nicole shakes her head and it stops Waverly’s train of thought. “This isn’t helping me feel better. I think I just need to take a breather.”  _

_ Waverly stands and walks to Nicole. She tries to wrap her arms around her girlfriend and Nicole returns the gesture half-heartedly. “I’m sorry, Nicole.”  _

_ “Okay… I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I need some air.” Nicole says, slipping out of Waverly’s grasp.  _

_ “Let me know when you get home?”  _

_ “Yeah, okay, I will.”  _

Waverly shakes her head, recalling their conversation, trying to figure out what she should have said… She hadn’t meant to make it worse. She thought maybe if she explained  _ why  _ she said those things, it would help. That wasn’t what Nicole needed. 

Waverly never seems to know what Nicole needs anymore. Now, she’s standing in the city, trying to escape the suffocation of everything for a few hours. She ‘sees’ Rosita again... Maybe, she keeps ‘seeing’ Rosita because she thinks the woman would have the answers like last time. She seems to ‘see’ her when she wants a friend the most.

***

The third time, Waverly becomes more certain that she’s not crazy. This time, nothing looms over her… She trails Rosita from a healthy distance and when she sees the woman smile, she knows it is undoubtedly her old friend by the way her cheeks shape around her mouth.

Should Waverly tell Wynonna? She considers it. Wynonna had promised to keep hunting Rosita, but then… Life kept happening and Wynonna seemed to forget about that promise. Waverly still had her own resentment from getting knocked out on the pool table while standing concernedly over her sister in labor… 

Still… Rosita had been a good friend. She decides to keep it to herself while she figures out whether she wants Rosita dead or alive. 

***

Waverly sets out to the familiar spot in the city multiple days in a row until she finally sees Rosita again. This time, she’s going to find out where she’s been hiding. Not once does she consider that she’s going after a demon. She only considers confronting an old “friend.” 

A couple of times, Waverly is sure she’s been had. Rosita stops and looks over her shoulder, searching. Waverly ducks out of the way just in time. The younger woman watches Rosita get out a set of keys and unlock the door to what is undoubtedly where she’s been living and Waverly congratulates herself on a job well done. 

Before she loses the nerve, she bounds up to the door almost as soon as it latches and starts pounding. 

The door opens just enough for Rosita to see who is standing outside her door. Her eyes widen in utter shock and Waverly wastes no time in pushing her way inside. 

“What the fuck?” Rosita calls out. 

“No!  _ You _ what the fuck?!” Waverly says pointing a finger at Rosita. “What the hell are you doing here? Wynonna told you to run. Why the hell are you back?” 

Rosita’s face twists in confusion and annoyance. “I don’t see how that’s any of your damn business. How the hell did you find me?”

“I followed you! Might want to get better at hiding if that’s what you were trying to do. Traipsing around the city isn’t exactly covert,” Waverly bites. 

Rosita’s patiences wanes quickly.  _ They’d finally hunted her down. _ She tightens her jaw and spits back venomously, "You gonna run and tell Wynonna I'm back? Since you obviously can’t keep your mouth shut?"

Waverly’s bravado fades when Rosita calls her out for spilling the beans she promised Rosita she would keep secret. Before she can say anything, Rosita adds an extra bit of venom. 

"Or do you want to pull the trigger yourself again?" Rosita’s face shifts slightly, showing the pain more clearly in her eyes than the anger. 

Waverly’s mouth drops open in shock. It’s like a slap to the face. No, Rosita doesn’t get to be the high and mighty one here. Waverly laughs humorlessly. "Oh! So sorry for pulling the trigger! Maybe I wasn't thinking too clearly since  _ someone _ smashed my head on the side of a pool table! Still a little fuzzy… Who was that again? Oh…  _ You. _ "

Rosita freezes, taking every bit of vitriol that Waverly slings back at her. It’s deserved. In the silence, she lets herself really look at Waverly for the first time. Tears well up in her eyes, remembering the way it felt for the gun to glow in Waverly’s hands pointed at her.

After a few moments of heavy silence, Rosita breathes out quietly, "I'm sorry." It comes out more broken than she intends. 

Waverly’s lip quivers. Did Rosita really just say she was sorry? The one thing she needed to hear from the girl? Before she can stop herself, she’s crying. Feelings of regret and sadness crash over her as well as relief and hopefulness. She sucks in a sharp breath through her nose and releases it through her lips. 

Her feet move on their own towards Rosita and she thinks she sees Rosita move towards her, too. They’re… hugging? Waverly’s hand moves to the back of Rosita’s head and she can’t believe that she’s here after months of wishing Rosita was there to talk to.

“I’m sorry, too,” Waverly whispers back, tightening her grip. “I’m so sorry, Rosita.”   


Rosita holds onto Waverly with just as much desperation, burying her face into Waverly's neck and crying harder.

They stand like that for longer than necessary, just apologizing and crying. 

Waverly pulls back just enough to hold Rosita’s face. The younger woman wipes Rosita’s tears away before letting her fingers brush over the place where she remembers seeing the bullet graze--the bullet that  _ she _ shot. Waverly whimpers and the tears fall more quickly. "I didn't want to. I never wanted to hurt you. I'm so sorry."

Rosita leans into the touch and lets her eyes close. Her hands fall almost naturally to Waverly's hips. "I never wanted to hurt you... Or Wynonna. I was scared. I made the biggest mistake of my life that day." She looks down, unable to look at Waverly. Her hands slip away and she steps back. "I'll regret it forever,” she whispers. 

"I think Wynonna will forgive you.” Waverly pauses, wringing her hands and averting Rosita’s gaze.  “I hope that you can forgive me, too, but I understand if you can't--I shouldn't have told Wynonna your secret when I promised I wouldn't. There's no excuse for that and I'm so sorry I betrayed you, Rosita." 

"Waverly..." Rosita begins with a sigh. She steps closer to her again and puts her hands on both of Waverly's shoulders. "It was gonna come out sooner or later. Sure, I didn't think it'd be you... But... I forgive you, too. You were going through some shit when you found out... And then some more shit after that. It's okay. I just want-- I still really like you... Even after..."

Relief washes over Waverly. She smiles gently. "I like you, too. I didn't get to tell you that but I do. Still. I promise I'll never hurt you again.” She worries her lip before adding, “I won’t tell anyone where you are if you don't want them to know. I don't want you to think... That I'm just gonna run and tell on you." 

_ I like you, too. _ It hits Rosita in the chest like a ton of bricks. She hates believing Waverly so easily. She knows that she shouldn't. She should be smart and keep her guard up but there's something in the way Waverly speaks that just cuts through those guards. 

"Okay," she breathes, her hands falling away from Waverly again. "I promise I won't hurt you either. I just don't think that-- Wynonna said she'd never stop hunting me. Don't really think she's going to forgive me. She's not like you, Waves." The nickname slips out without realization.

Waverly takes a moment to consider. It’s nice for someone to say she isn’t like her sister. Waverly shakes her head, her smile softening a bit as she reaches for one of Rosita’s hands. “I think you’re wrong. She’s been through a lot… we’re still going through a lot but… I think she’ll get it, Rosie.” 

“Still annoyingly sweet, I see,” Rosita remarks with a fond smile. Rosita returns the touch easily, letting Waverly take her hand and allowing her own fingers to move over Waverly’s. God, she missed her. 

Waverly blushes at the sentiment, rolling her eyes playfully.

“We’ll see... I don’t want to—“ Rosita swallows a knot in her throat. “I don’t want to die. I know I’m over a century old but...” She shakes her head. “I don’t think I can tell her right now. Not yet. I need time. Need to practice my apology.”

"Rosie, you're not gonna die. No matter what, okay?" Waverly smooths her finger over Rosita's hand, nodding in agreement. "You can take all the time you need," she assures.

Rosita missed having people. She missed being in the Earp circle even if she was always kinda hanging around the outside. Every second makes it so clear that she missed Waverly most of all. “I don’t know, Waves... Even if Wynonna forgives me... If everyone forgives me... the ending is still the same. Last to die still ends in me dead.”

“Don’t think like that. Please, don’t say that. I can’t -- We don’t want to lose you, not me, not any of us. We’ll figure something out. We always do. But for now, I'm just glad that you’re really okay--that I found you.” Waverly smiles sweetly, wondering if she should tell Rosita about how long she’d been speculating and following her trying to find out if she was crazy or if it really was her out here.

The hope that springs in Rosita’s chest is intense. The prospect of a life  _ after _ the curse? It’s all she’s ever wanted. “Wait...” Rosita narrows her eyes. “Found? Were you looking?” Rosita questions and then saddens. “Were you helping Wynonna hunt me?”

The sadness seizes her and she can’t help it. She takes Rosita’s face in her hands again. “Hey, what? No! No… it wasn’t like that. Wynonna was never hunting you! She’s having a hard time but she hasn’t been hunting you. Or anyone really.” Waverly shakes her head softly. “I’d never do that. Wynonna won’t be doing it either.” 

Her hands fall from Rosita’s face and she plays nervously with them. She continues, “I did look though. At first, I was angry and I looked, but didn’t find anything. And then one day I saw you. I was so sure it was you but then I thought maybe I was just pretending… Then it happened again. I started following you when you didn’t know I was around. Eventually, ended up here. I know that’s insane but I just-- didn’t want you to get away again. Because I like you and I like... being your friend. I missed you. Even when I was mad.” 

The touch instantly soothes Rosita once she settles into it. Her eyes close briefly and a heavy sigh leaves her, relief washing over. Why hadn't she gotten over her thing for Waverly? She could never ever compete with Nicole. 

_ Because I like you. _ There it is again. "I like being your friend, too. I've missed you, Waves. I never really had people before Doc basically blackmailed me into your circle... I never really felt like I was a part of it because... I'm just glad that you stalked me," Rosita teases. "And I'm sorry I ever made you mad."

“Well, you have me. And when you’re ready –– everyone else,” she assures. For a moment, she considers what all of that means. No telling Nicole, no telling Wynonna. Not even Doc. Nobody could know where she’d been. “It was mostly sadness though. I don’t know what’s worse, but I’m just glad it’s all gone now. I’m just so happy you’re back and that you’re okay.” Waverly smiles so wide that her eyes disappear. 

"Still annoyingly cute, too," Rosita says before she stops herself. 

“Hey! Maybe a little more cute & less annoying? No?” Waverly jokes back. “What, you don’t like the bangs?” She asks, pointing cutely to her haircut that Rosita hadn’t had the chance to see. Waverly watches Rosita’s face intently, thinking about how she impossibly looks more beautiful than the last time she saw her. She’d changed her hair a little, too.

"Oh, the bangs only make you cuter, for sure," Rosita says with that small smile. 

Waverly reaches out to touch the blonder parts at the ends of Rosita’s perfectly curled hair. “This looks beautiful on you, too,” she assures, noticing how soft Rosita’s hair is before she releases it.

Heat rushes to Rosita’s cheeks and she ducks her head, trying to hide it. After a moment of consideration, Rosita answers something Waverly said a few moments ago, "Making you sad is worse… Anything that takes that big smile off your face should be a crime.” 

Waverly’s shoulders slump a bit and she tilts her head, shaking it slightly. Her cheeks flush. “You’re too sweet to me, still. I see that hasn’t changed.” 

Rosita’s eyes narrow and she’s sure that Waverly is blushing. It spreads a warmth through her chest. She wants to do that again--make Waverly blush because of something she says, but she can't. She hadn't meant to, then. Waverly is a good friend and Rosita isn't going to ruin it because she feels... Whatever it is.

She shakes her head. After a beat, she speaks gently,  “Are you-- Will you come back?"

Waverly raises her eyebrows in surprise. “I –– do you want me to?” 

"Yeah..." Rosita basically exhales the word. "It'd be nice to not be so lonely anymore. I know you guys are... Going through whatever it is you're going through. So, I don't expect, like, nightly or even weekly visits or anything, but if you want... You know where to find me... And my door's always open for you." Rosita brightens, remembering something she said once to Waverly in Shorty’s. 

Waverly brightens. All of the things she’d wanted to talk to Rosita about for all these months… She can do that now.

“There’s so much. But I can tell you about it all. Eventually. And I’d love to visit as much as I can-- It’s nice getting away from the insanity for a while. I never feel like I get the chance to really be myself when I’m there--to breathe, you know?” Waverly admits, a thought she didn’t even know she’d been keeping bottled up. 

"You can be yourself here," Rosita offers. "Breathe as much as you need." Rosita holds out her phone, handing it out to Waverly. “Here, put your number in here. That way, you can reach me even when you can’t stop by.” 

Waverly takes the phone and gives Rosita a small smile. “ I’ll-- I’ll keep it under another name just in case,” she says to make sure again that Rosita knows she’s serious this time about keeping her secret. 

Waverly puts her number in under the name “Waves” and places the ocean wave emoji beside it. She saddens at the memory of the two of them admitting they’d never seen the ocean, another thing they have in common. She passes the phone back to Rosita and shoves her hands into her back pockets. 

"I'm really sorry for asking you to lie to Wynonna... and Nicole..." Rosita admits softly. "Or  _ not _ tell them something... I know how you feel about lying... You're a really good friend, Waves."

“Oh –– don’t be. You don’t have to be. It’s not like they’ll notice,” she says softly, not realizing how it sounds before she says it. “You’re a really good friend, too, Rosie. Always were.” 

Rosita grins the way that reaches her eyes.  The revenant can’t help but notice that Waverly has said two things in the span of as many minutes, hinting at the fact that maybe things really aren't great for the Earp. "Do you-- Do you want to talk about ... anything?"

Waverly seems to stall for a moment before finally nodding slowly. “Yeah... I’d love to talk,” she finally agrees. “Are you sure though? You’re not busy? I just came in. I didn’t even think about it--that you probably have stuff to do,” she says shaking her head slightly. 

"I'm sure. Stuff can wait... You're here now... Like I said, door's always open for you," she offers with a wider smile. “I can get you a drink. I have some veggie straws if you want a snack?" 

A little peak of excitement, fondness and…something else, raises in Waverly. “You remembered I’m vegan?” She asks, almost under her breath. 

Rosita softens, body relaxing and her lips pulling barely into a smile. "Duh, Waves. Basic info... Raise the bar for me a little?" 

“No! No, I know you –– I know you care, I just –– before… it’s hard sometimes. It means a lot. I know it’s silly.” She says softly, waving Rosita off. 

"Waves..." Rosita says the nickname full of fondness and amusement again. "It's not silly. I'm glad it means a lot to you. But, it  _ is _ something that should be expected from the people that care about you. Just... saying." Rosita wonders if Waverly needs a reminder about her backbone again.

“I know. I think that’s why it hurts my feelings, because I do expect it… I just rarely get it.” She says, smiling sadly.

"Keep expecting it, Waves. Backbone, remember?" Rosita encourages. "Not the really mean text kind of backbone, but still a backbone. Take care of yourself, too."

“Yeah. That.” She laughs softly, remembering the awful things she’d said to Nicole. Nicole had just forgiven her, but it didn’t sit right even now. Nicole shouldn’t have taken that. And she shouldn’t have given it. 

“Is anyone going to come looking for you?” Rosita asks, a little uneasy.

“Probably not. Nicole’s at work all night and Wynonna is...“ She trails off, shaking her head to stop thinking about whatever undoubtedly self destructive thing her sister is probably doing right now. 

“In that case, get comfy... Kick off your shoes, whatever you wanna do. I'm taking that  _ Wynonna is... _ as a yes to a drink and to snacks." 

Waverly pushes a hand through her hair as she goes to have a seat on the couch. She takes off her shoes and tucks them neatly under the edge of the coffee table, pulling her legs up under herself. 

She watches Rosita in the kitchen intently from there, a soft smile on her lips. She notices the way Rosita keeps peeking at her, but manages to look away each time, wondering if she notices. It feels weird to be here, but good at the same time. Like she’d like to stay. It’s a silly thought, of course, but it comes.

Rosita comes back into the living area, one hand clasping the bag of veggie straws with her middle finger and a glass of wine while the other hand holds the other glass. She sets the glasses down on the coffee table in front of them and hands the bag to Waverly. "I'm all ears, Waves. Lay it all on me."

Waverly straightens, putting the bag in her lap. Before she starts spilling all her guts, she takes a drink of wine. “I don’t know where to start. Maybe with how I still haven’t –– figured out who or what I am. And there’s too much going on in every other way for anyone to really help me.” 

Rosita opens her body up to Waverly, putting her elbow over the back of the couch and propping her head in her hand, listening closely. As Waverly speaks, she reaches into the bag in Waverly's lap to grab a few of the snacks when Waverly's hand isn't in there. "Do you still think you're half revenant?" 

This feels way too normal. Waverly’s sitting here eating snacks with a woman who hurt her and her sister and tried to take her niece… No. She’s sitting here with an old friend. A woman she’d kissed in a hot tub. A kiss she remembers enjoying, no matter the circumstances. Fuck, where did that come from? 

“No, I- could leave. We tried it. We had to take the baby outside of the triangle, someone came and got her so she’d be safe. She wasn’t half revenant either,” Waverly says the words for the first time since it all happened, having no idea how sad they would make her feel. 

Rosita kind of saddens at the fact that Waverly isn't half revenant--it was nice to think that Waverly would have been like her in a way. She reaches out for Waverly's hand, just to let her know she's there. " _ She _ ... It was a girl. I thought I heard whispers about it from the other revenants... So she was Doc's.” 

Waverly runs her finger along the glass until Rosita takes her hand. She feels better instantly. “Yeah. She was. They named her Alice Michelle. After Doc’s mother and ours.” Tears start to well up in her eyes forcing her to look down.

Rosita lets her thumb smooth lazily over Waverly's hand, unaware. "Pretty name..." Rosita offers, just to let Waverly know she's listening. Waverly notices and her eyes sparkle a little. 

Rosita goes on, “Bet they're both going through it... Doc and Wynonna... Is that why Wynonna is.... Doing whatever you stopped yourself from saying earlier?"

“Yeah. They’re-- It’s hard. Wynonna doesn’t talk much, Doc talks even less and they never talk to each other. Wynonna talks to Nicole the most. I get kinda left out.” She shrugs, reaching up to wipe at her eyes. 

"Maybe it's just easier for Wynonna... You're Wynonna's whole world, Waverly. She probably just... Doesn't want to burden you." Rosita’s trying to help but she knows nothing helps when you’re feeling alone… Like Waverly clearly is. 

“Yeah, maybe. I just know I’m not helpful like that. And that’s okay. Everyone has their person that makes things easier for them…” She says it first and thinks about it next. Nicole is that for her, isn’t she? She’s that for Nicole? She thinks about it a little longer before it starts to ache that she might be wrong. That it all might be wrong. She tries to push that away for now.

"You're not helpful?" Rosita asks, shaking her head. "Hmm..." Rosita doesn't say more than that.

“Not…in that way. With advice, or whatever. I –– can be selfish, but I’m trying,” she admits.

"Everyone can be selfish. I think you're just bad at hiding things," Rosita says with a soft, supportive smile. “I think you're bad at not talking about your feelings... That's not  _ really  _ bad, you know. Your feelings are valid, too. And it's okay to talk about them. Maybe you just…” She purses her lips and pushes them to the side a bit. “Haven't found someone who knows how to communicate the way you need." Rosita wishes she could take it back immediately after she says it. Is she overstepping?

“Maybe you’re right.” She says a little sadly.  “I like to think Wynonna needs me but it doesn’t feel like it anymore. And Nicole found out she survived a massacre as a kid. Everyone has their own stuff to deal with, you know? But I don’t know how to deal with my stuff on my own, not like they do.” Waverly says through her tears, voice high and weak.

Rosita can't stand it. She moves the bag and pulls Waverly into her arms, hugging her again--holding her and rubbing her hand over her back smoothly. "You've got me back, Waves. Anytime you want to talk, you've got me. You don't have to deal with stuff alone.” 

“I’m sorry, Rosie. I don’t ––– you probably have so much of your own to deal with I shouldn’t be ––“ Waverly settles into the hug despite her words. 

"No, shhh... No sorries. I'm glad you can talk to me. You can always talk to me. Right now, all I have to do is listen to my friend. And be there for her. Maybe I can make things easier for you," Rosita offers, echoing Waverly's words. Seeing Waverly cry... Rosita feels this guttural urge to rip something apart. It surprises her and she shakes it away.

Waverly looks up at Rosita with her red, tear-filled eyes and listens. No demons to kill, no training, no work, no BBD, no anything besides just being there for her. It’s been a while since she’s had a moment like this. “You do! You’re making it easier, I mean.” 

Rosita swells inside and thinks, maybe... Maybe she could be Waverly's person... Who makes things easier. Her best friend.

The next thought that comes to Waverly’s mind is the saddest. She doesn’t even want to share it. But Rosie deserves to know. “Dolls died. The wake and the burial was yesterday, actually. I’m sorry that you couldn’t be there, I know he was your friend, too.” 

Dolls… Had been kind and good to Rosita. She had heard about it in vile ways from the revenants, but knew she didn't have the right to mourn anymore. “I'm sorry about Dolls... And everyone else. That's so much, Waves... It's okay if you're not dealing with it  _ perfectly. _ And it's okay if you're hurt because you're not getting what you need from the people you care about... It's all shit, but I’ve got you."

“Thank you.” She mutters, sagging against Rosita’s chest again and resting her head on her shoulder. “We were having a nice little snack party there for a second.” She jokes, laughing softly through her tears after a moment. 

Rosita chuckles at Waverly and holds her closer. Rosita rests her head against Waverly's and chuckles. "We can go back to snacking if you want... Whatever you need."

“Tell me what you did, over the last few months…” Waverly fishes, sniffling and reaching out for the bag again, not moving out of Rosita’s embrace. She sets the bag on their laps and reaches in, taking out a straw and offering it to Rosita. “You probably haven’t –– talked to anyone in so long. What I need is to be here for my friend, too.” She says, resting her free hand on Rosita’s leg.

Rosita tenses. Her months aren’t worth detailing, but Waverly's right... She hadn't talked to another intelligent person in quite some time. She takes the straw from Waverly and takes it into her mouth. Waverly's hand on her leg shouldn't affect her the way it does. She feels herself warming all over. She's being a bad friend right now and Waverly has no idea. She hates that she can't shake the deeper feelings for Waverly. But, she'll never hurt Waverly again. She promised.

"For the first couple months, I ran. From place to place. Nothing ever really chased me to the next place but, I ran anyway to be safe. Or when I got bored,” Rosita begins. “Then, I got tired of running and fell back in with some old friends... Revenants that don't want this anymore than I do. They lay real low and it was nice for a while… Then, I just kept thinking about you... and Wynonna and everything that happened. 

"I just kept thinking about how I hated everything that happened... Then I'd get mad at Wynonna again for threatening me in the first place. I still get bitter at her sometimes. I just never would have--" Rosita clears her throat. "I never would have turned on you if she hadn't--”

Waverly listens with the same intensity that Rosita had given to her. She’s leaning against her still so she can’t really watch her face, but she nods along to let the other woman know she’s listening to every word. 

_ I kept thinking about you. _ She can’t help but wonder if the pause after it means something. Waverly sits up a little bit, leaning her weight against the back of the couch but staying close. “You have the right to be angry with her, too, you know?” Waverly assures, her hand still resting in Rosita’s lap. 

"Yeah, I guess..." Rosita says, with a shrug. She turns her head to look at Waverly. "I know it's just the shitty hand we were both dealt, but it does still suck."

“It does suck…but you both are justified in your anger. Which is why I think you can work it out. Because I know you’re both sorry.” 

"You really think Wynonna's sorry, too?" Rosita asks. She pauses and chews the inside of her lip. "I know she said she was sorry... That she made a mistake... But that was before the whole 'never stop hunting you' thing... And my whole thing..." 

“She’s sorry, believe me. I don’t think she has it in her to hold onto stuff like that anymore. She’s lost too much.” Waverly says sadly, feeling the overwhelming pain for her older sister ache in her chest.

Maybe, Rosita could reconcile with the Heir. She hopes. She wants to. If not for her, then so Waverly can have her as a friend. "I really do miss it… That’s why I came back, but I've been too scared. So I've been lurking," she says the last word with a laugh. "Trying to figure out what to say... What to do... I didn't really  _ do _ much during the last few months. Ran around... Slept with some people I definitely shouldn't have slept with... And moped and stewed and moped some more."

A strange dull ache springs in Waverly’s bones at  _ slept with some people _ . Her eyes narrow and her smile turns into more of a smirk as she tries to play it off. “Huh…slept with someone you shouldn’t… you mean our little kiss wasn’t enough to hold you over all these months?” Waverly jokes. She can’t pretend she doesn’t recognize the ache. But she has no reason to be jealous, no right. 

_ Little kiss _ causes a tearing feeling inside Rosita. Waverly just confirmed the thing she'd given probably the most consideration to over the last five months--that the kiss in the hot tub, the one Rosita couldn't stop thinking about and aching for, the one that had inspired her best dreams, was just a  _ little kiss _ to her. Rosita laughs, a little forced but she's a good enough faker, she hopes. She shakes her head, turning to look away from Waverly when she tries to go along with it being a  _ little kiss.  _ "A girl's got needs..." is all she can manage to say.

She doesn’t know why the talk about Rosita sleeping with other people is still bouncing around in her head but she can’t seem to get it out. Something sinks even further when she says ‘a girl’s got needs’ in that way. Waverly curses herself mentally for it because it’s dumb. Rosie could do whatever she wanted.

“Anyways, I’m glad that you don’t have to mope and stew alone anymore. At least we can do it together now.” Waverly laughs, leaning her head back against Rosita’s shoulder. 

"Yeah, we can be pissy and drink wine and eat veggie straws together. Much better than me finding the millionth Netflix show to watch."

“What’s your favorite show that you’ve watched?” She asks, genuinely interested.

Rosita laughs and shakes her head before answering. "Don't make fun... I like  _ One Day at a Time. _ Light stuff. Our lives are already demony and gross enough, so I watch a lot of comedies and romance. Nice to live vicariously through them and pretend sometimes." Rosita reddens when she admits it.

“ _ One Day at a Time _ is so cute, I love that one, too!” Waverly seems to consider something before asking her next question. “Do you like Nicholas Sparks movies? I know they’re like  _ super _ straight and white but some of the stories just...“ She trails off, her eyes getting almost watery with dreaminess as she clutches her chest and looks off into the distance.

Rosita's eyebrows pull together a bit and raise, amused. "I've seen a few. The stories are... nice. Can't say I know what any of them are really feeling... But they're nice to watch.”

She turns to face Rosita fully until her bent leg is practically in Rosita’s lap. “What?! What do you mean you don’t know?” she asks, her voice hitting a new high. 

Rosita ducks her head at Waverly's question. "I mean I don't know... I've never felt -- that." Rosita says waving one of her hands around vaguely. "Sure, I've dated and liked the people I've been with, but I've never had that 'God, if I'm not with this person, I'll die. I'll absolutely lose my mind. I'll go crazy and never be okay again.' kind of love. The kind Elvis sings about..." Rosita says too dreamily, giving away the fact that she's not exactly content with her lack of love in her life. 

"I wanted it-- For a long time, I mean. After over a hundred years... You kinda just realize, that's not your thing. So, I just have fun. Hang out... Make questionable decisions sometimes." Rosita tries to play it off, but it never really stopped being something she hoped for--that Elvis kind of love.

Waverly’s chest aches when Rosita says  _ The kind Elvis sings about. _ “Oh, Rosie…” Waverly says softly, eyes soft and caring as she looks at her admit that she’s given up on it. Something makes it sound like she actually hasn’t and Waverly hopes that she hasn’t either. For Rosie’s sake, of course. 

Rosie tosses her head back and shakes it in the same motion at the sweet way Waves coos her name and looks at her so pitifully. "Ayyy... ¡No se preocupe!" Rosita falls into her native tongue, waving her hand around dismissively. "Don't worry about it..." She translates, though she knows that Waverly knows what she's saying. She does it out of habit when she's talking to someone whose native language isn't hers.

Waverly notes the way her voice changes, deepens a little more. It sounds beautiful. Even though she knows exactly what she’s saying, It just sounds so pretty coming from Rosita. Waverly knows she must look stupid with the way she’s staring.

“Fiiiine,” Waverly draws out. “I’ll drop it for now.” She takes a moment to look around the apartment. It’s small, but it has all Rosita could need, she guesses. “It’s nice in here. Very you. Smells like you everywhere.” Waverly comments, breathing in the pretty smell again as she does. 

Rosita warms all over again the more Waverly talks... Can she...  _ stop _ .... "You know how I smell?"

Waverly looks up, eyebrows raising adorably. “Uh, yeah! Of course. I noticed the day we met. Cherry blossoms. It’s nice. Smells so much like it in here.” She says as if it’s no big deal, but after thinking about it for a moment, thinks this must be similar to how she felt when Rosita remembered her being vegan. 

That stupid beating in her chest starts up again, pulsing through her and making her feel... stupid. Waverly knows how she smells and likes it. "You make it a habit of smelling your friends?" Rosita tries to joke because she can't let Waverly know it makes her feel... Stupid butterflies.

“Well when you smell that nice, it’s hard not to notice,” Waverly says, reddening. “Not that I was trying to smell you or anything! I wasn’t just –– sniffing you when you weren’t paying attention…  _ Ugh!  _ I know I sound weird… I’m sorry.” she laughs, dropping her face into her hands and groaning. 

Rosita wants to peel Waverly's hands away and kiss her. 

No. 

No, she doesn't. Bad friend, she's a bad friend. 

"You don't sound weird! I was just teasing. You're right. I do smell good. Sniff away if it makes you happy, cutie." Rosita insists with a chuckle.

Waverly finally peeks through her fingers, slowly letting them fall from her flushed face. She looks down again when Rosita calls her cutie, feeling the same strange floaty feeling in her stomach. She clears her throat and pulls out her phone to check the time. 

“I- I guess I better go. It’s getting kinda late, Wynonna might be worrying,” Waverly says, praying she doesn’t sound too hopeful. 

Rosita's face falls. 

“I can’t believe you’re back, Rosita.” Waverly says again, nearly breathless. “I’m so glad, though.” 

Rosita reaches out this time, placing her hand on Waverly's leg and rubbing for a second. "Me too, Waves... I meant what I said, okay. Anytime you need me--text, call, come over if you need to, okay?"

Waverly smiles down at the hand on her leg, covering it with her own. “I’ll remember. You’ll get tired of me eventually,” she jokes with a smile. 

Rosita turns her hand over, running her thumb over the back of Waverly’s. "I wouldn't be so sure about that..." Rosita says sincerely, trying to communicate that with her eyes.

Waverly feels it again--like she wishes she didn’t have to leave.

“I’ll probably be hanging out around this place a lot more now, since I was so shit at laying low… With you finding me and all,” Rosita teases. 

“Hey! Just because I found you doesn’t mean you weren’t hiding well. Maybe I’m just too smart.” Waverly tests, trying not to smile as she raises her eyebrow at Rosita. 

She grins at Waverly's rationale. "You are brilliant, Waverly Earp... Maybe you're right. Still..."

Waverly almost cries. It’d been a long time since anyone had called her that, or since she’d gotten the chance to prove it. Waverly chews on the inside of her lip and finally stands up from the couch, lingering nearby. “I’ll let you know that I’ve gotten home,” Waverly says surely, nudging her shoes out from under the table and slipping back into them. “Thank you for... everything.” 

Will Waves actually come back? The question causes a pang in the depths of Rosita’s bones. She stands beside Waverly and nods. "Don't mention it, Waves," Rosita says shaking her head. "Thank  _ you _ for giving me a chance. I feel better." 

Waverly hugs Rosita tight and breathes in her relaxing smell. Rosita turns her face to take a deep breath of her own, smelling Waverly's hair and feeling a little drunk for a second. This is going to be... difficult. 

“You deserve it,” Waverly says softly before she finally pulls back. “Goodnight, Rosie. I’ll see you.” Waverly says softly before she walks out the door into the night. 

"Goodnight, Waves..." She waits for the door to close and exhales a long breath. "I hope so."


	2. do you know how the people in nicholas sparks movies feel?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A question weighs on Waverly's mind. She asks Wynonna and Nicole. When Wyn and Nicole leave to work on a case, Waverly is left alone and goes to see Rosita again.

Things with Nicole aren’t getting better. They’re not really worse, either. They’ve approached this sort of limbo where neither of them wants to have the deeper conversations looming about. Waverly sits across from her girlfriend at the table in Nicole’s kitchen. It’s been a couple of days since Waverly had confronted Rosita and it’s the first time they’ve had a moment alone with each other. 

Nicole looks over at Waverly and gives a half-hearted smile. She narrows her eyes when she notices Waverly playing with her last bit of food. 

“You okay, Waves?” Nicole questions. 

Waverly blinks a few times and shakes her head. “Hmm? Oh--” She registers the question a couple seconds behind. “I’m just wondering… Well, it’s kind of a stupid question.”

“What’s up?” Nicole leans back and studies her carefully. 

“Do you… know how the people in Nicholas Sparks movies feel?” Waverly struggles through the question, her expression ending in a wince. 

Nicole’s mouth fills with air, puffing her cheeks out a bit, and her eyebrows pull together. The air releases in a confused huff. “Uh, well-- I can’t say I watch a lot of those movies, but I think I’m a little too lesbian to really  _ get _ them… Why?” 

There’s a sinking feeling in her chest at Nicole’s answer. Shouldn’t the both of them have said a resounding yes? Nicole’s supposed to be her person and she’s supposed to be Nicole’s. The both of them had gone through so much together… And the both of them had gone through so much alone, without the other. 

“Waves?” Nicole pulls Waverly out of her thoughts again. 

“Oh! No reason, I just uh-- I watched one the other day and I was just wondering-- If you ever felt that way.” Waverly tries to save herself. 

“I’m sorry… I just don’t know enough about ‘em to answer your question,” Nicole offers with an apologetic look on her face. 

_ Do you know how you feel about us?  _ Waverly wants to say. The question rolls around in her head until it ultimately ends up filed away into the cabinet full of unasked and unanswered questions for Waverly.

They finish their meal and wash the dishes together, in mostly silence. Nicole announces she’s beat from work and asks if Waverly’s going to come to bed. Waverly nods and they fall asleep without another word. 

***

The next day, Waverly, Wynonna, Nicole, Jeremy, and Doc are all at the homestead. Jeremy, Doc, and Nicole are talking at the table in the living room. Waverly falls into a chair beside Wynonna in front of the fireplace across the room. 

“Penny for your thoughts, baby girl?” Wynonna says after a few moments of silence. 

Waverly looks over at her sister and shrugs. “No, you’ll think it’s silly.”

“Hit me.”

There’s no way in hell Wynonna will be able to answer her any better than Nicole did… Certainly, but still… Waverly’s curious. And hopelessly romantic at this point. “Have you ever felt the way that people do in Nicholas Sparks movies?” 

Wynonna doesn’t answer, just narrows her eyes and stares. 

_ “The Notebook! _ Those types of movies!”

“Oh right, that gross shit, uhhhh…. Pfft, well--” Wynonna laughs humorlessly. “Can’t say I’m familiar with any of that sappy shit. Or that I liked watching  _ The Notebook  _ when I did. You know me, Waves. I’m a hit it and quit it type of gal.” 

Waverly gives her a look of disbelief. “Oh you so are not! You just haven’t found the right someone yet! You need someone who won’t put up with your shit is what you need...” 

“Well we can’t all get lucky with bossy hot redheads, can we?” Wynonna offers with a laugh. 

Waverly doesn’t respond. She shifts in the chair, pulling both of her legs up under her. 

“What about me now?” Nicole calls from across the room with a smirk on her face. 

“Who said we were talking about you, Red?” Wynonna shoots back. “Nah, Waverly was just hitting me with the Nick Sparks question you told me about.”

“Oh my  _ god!  _ I love those movies!” Jeremy says, bouncing a little. 

“Who is Nick Sparks?” Doc inquires. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Wynonna, Waverly, and Nicole answer in unison. 

“So… What’s the verdict, Earp? You ever been in Nicholas Sparks love?” Nicole teases.

“Bite me, Haught.” 

“So that’s a no, then…” Jeremy attempts to say under his breath for the table to hear. 

“Don’t make me invert your other nipple, Chetri!” 

Just then, Nicole’s phone rings. Sheriff Nedley. She answers it and walks off towards the kitchen. Waverly watches and when Nicole is far enough away and distracted by her phone call, Waverly leans in and near-whispers to her sister. 

“Wynonna… Have you ever felt jealous about a friend… having sex with someone else? But like they’re just a friend so you don’t know why you’re jealous?” 

Wynonna looks past Waverly at Nicole for just a split second and shakes her head. “No, why would you ask me that?” Maybe, it comes off a little too defensive, but Waverly either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care. 

“I was just-- You know it doesn’t matter.”

Doc chimes in, raising his finger towards the women. “You know, I have experienced that emotion, Waverly, darlin’ and I found that it was because that person I was envious over was meant to be more than just my friend…”

“Doc, shut up,” Wynonna bites at him. 

Waverly knows that that is the logical reason. The reason that maybe the “friend” in question means a little more than she's willing to admit. She’s still grappling with a slew of emotions that came rushing back when she reunited with Rosita--emotions she can’t talk about with anyone because as far as she knows, Rosita is a wanted woman among their circle. No one’s even mentioned her, though. Strange for a woman who had promised to hunt her down. 

“I was just trying to answer the question! Since I do not know who Nick Sparks is, I figured I could be of help here.” 

“You can’t,” Wynonna says again. 

Jeremy goes to open his mouth but Wynonna points a finger at him, effectively shutting him up. 

“Earp…” Nicole’s voice draws Wynonna’s and Waverly’s gazes to the redhead. “Wynonna,” Nicole clarifies. “Nedley needs us at the cop shop. You too, Jeremy.”

“What’s the situation, Haught?” 

“He was kind of vague, but said he needed Jeremy to get all science-y with something and you and me to investigate.” 

“Have I told you how much I  _ hate _ being a…” Wynonna shivers. “...cop?” 

Nicole shakes her head in amusement at her best friend. She leans down and kisses Waverly on the head. “I’ll come back here tonight?” She questions. 

“Oh, uh, sure!” Waverly says, offering a weak smile. “You all be careful!” 

Nicole, Jeremy, and Wynonna rush out the door together, leaving Waverly with Doc. Maybe talking to Doc about this… Wouldn’t be so bad. The man always seemed to be there for her when she needed him. 

“Come over here and sit in the comfy chairs with me, Henry!” Waverly calls with a sweet smile--one that reaches her eyes. 

Doc seems to consider before clearing his throat. “You know, I think I actually best be going, little darlin’. I have some affairs I need to attend to…” 

“Oh…” Waverly’s face falls. “Okay, I understand! I’ll see you later.”

“Good afternoon, Miss Waverly.” 

Just like that, Waverly is alone. Again. She sinks back into the chair and lets herself think about all of the unresolved feelings that hang in the air around the homestead. Doc is hot and cold with everyone, especially Wynonna. Nicole is drowning herself in work, trying to figure out what being the survivor of a massacre means. Wynonna’s trying to deal with all of that, plus the pain of losing her daughter  _ and  _ a man that she loved all at once. Everything is impossible and Waverly hates it. 

Waverly still doesn’t know who she is or who her father is. She still hasn’t seen her mom who is apparently within visiting distance and has been this whole time… She never seems to know what anyone needs anymore and it makes her feel lost and confused. Shouldn’t the nicest person in Purgatory be able to actually help the people she loves? 

_ Rosie.  _ Her mind reminds her. The words echo in her voice,  _ You don't have to deal with stuff alone. _

She pulls her phone from her pocket and scrolls to the contact name she’s made up for Rosita--Flora. Waverly still thinks she’s so clever for settling on that alias. Latin for flower… And the name of one of the fairy godmothers--an inside joke only she and Rosita would understand after she asked the woman to be that for her all those nights ago. 

**Waves:** _ Hey you busy? _

**Flora:** _ Nope. Just rewatching ODAAT. You okay? _

**Waves:** _ Yeah I’m okay. Just sitting alone at the homestead again.  _

**Flora:** _ Do you want to stop by?  _

**Waves:** _ Are you sure?  _

**Flora:** _ Any time remember? Come over. We can watch a movie or talk.  _

**Waves:** _ Be there in a while. Thanks.  _

**Flora:** _ You got it, Waves. _

*******

Waverly knocks on Rosita’s door, standing there with three grocery bags hanging from her arms. Nerves bounce around inside of her--she’s not sure why. Last time had been so nice.. This time would be even better because they’d gotten all that reconciliation mess out of the way. Now, she's going to spend time with her friend so she doesn’t spend time making  _ too much food  _ at the homestead.

The door opens after only a few seconds and Rosita greets her with a smile. “Whoa! What’s all this?” She reaches out and grabs one of the bags from Waverly and steps to the side so she can enter. 

_ Wow.  _ Waverly thinks as she takes in the sight of a relaxed Rosita. She’s wearing an old t-shirt and her hair is slightly mussed, falling mostly to one side. The jean shorts she’s got on are worn, too. She looks so effortlessly beautiful, it’s almost infuriating to Waverly. It’s also a bit of a shock. The woman had always been wearing such amazing outfits with great accessories. Waverly figures, she’s just caught her on a day she’s laying low. 

“Just some snacks! And a bottle of wine! I didn’t want to mooch off you like last time. Y’know? My turn to provide goodies!” Waverly explains, trying to distract herself from the still confusing thoughts she continues to have about Rosita. 

“Oh my god, you so didn’t have to do that, Waves!” 

“There’s ice cream in the bag you grabbed! It’s vegan, so I hope you like it.” Waverly laughs a bit as they move through the apartment. 

“Got it! I’ll put it in the freezer, then we can find something to watch if you want.” Rosita explains as she walks away and goes into the kitchen to put away what Waverly’s brought. 

Waverly comes up behind her and hands her the bottle of wine to be put into the fridge to chill. Then, she hands her another bottle. A cheeky smile tugs at Waverly’s lips. 

“Sparkling peach water…” Rosita reads out, shaking her head as she laughs again. “Very funny…” 

“So you  _ do  _ remember!” Waverly teases. It’s a stupid calback to their night at the spa when Waverly got so many flavors of fruit-infused waters and Rosita had teased her about  _ peach.  _

“You really gotta raise your expectations off the floor, Waves.” 

Once the groceries are settled, Rosita leads Waverly to the couch and takes a seat, displaying all of the dry snacks that Waverly brought across the table in front of her sofa--dried fruits, some vegan cookies, and popcorn. 

“So… What’s new in your world since the last we met?” Rosita asks playfully. 

A long sigh escapes Waverly and she shakes her head. “Nothing new, really. I don’t know-- It’s like… Nicole and I are just… Drifting. But we’re not bad? We don’t really talk. I tried to ask her about the Nicholas Sparks thing. And it just… Kind of fell flat.”

Rosita raises her eyebrows, amused at Waverly. “You asked her if she knew what the movies felt like since I don’t, huh?” 

“Yeah! And she mostly just copped out and said she didn’t know anything about the movies, but like! Everyone knows about those movies! Even if they haven’t seen them! So, she totally could have answered…” Waverly reasons. “Of course, Wynonna didn’t know what it felt like…” 

“You asked Wynonna?!” Rosita says, fully laughing for a few seconds. “Little miss repress, repress, repress?” 

Waverly gives Rosita a gentle, but stern look. “Hey! Wynonna’s a big softie! She just… Hasn’t found the right person.” 

“Huh… Sure,” Rosita answers skeptically. She purses her lips, giving something a lot of thought as she watches Waverly. 

“What?” The younger Earp woman inquires. 

“Do you know how they feel?” 

Waverly freezes, appearing as a deer caught in headlights. No one had asked her that question because the question is  _ hers  _ to ask. So, when Rosie turns the tables on her, Waverly finds herself heating up and blushing for god knows what reason. What the hell is Rosie doing asking  _ her  _ this question? Of course, she knows! She definitely knows! 

“Waverly… Do you know how the people in those movies feel?” Rosita begs the question again, clarifying so that Waverly can’t play dumb. 

“Uh-- Well, totally!” Waverly lies and she knows it’s obvious. She’s not the best liar, never has been. 

Rosita narrows her eyes and nods her head very slowly. “Right… Well… Good for you,” she offers with a small smile. It’s obvious Rosie isn’t buying what Waverly is selling, but she’s not pushing. _Thank god..._ Waverly thinks to herself. 

“Rosie, will you play me some Elvis songs?” Waverly asks with a cute glint in her eye. “You said the  _ kind Elvis sings about  _ last time and I want to know what you mean.” 

It seems Waverly strikes a chord because Rosita looks almost offended when Waverly asks for the songs to be played. “You don’t know Elvis songs?!” 

“What!? Of course, I know Elvis songs! I just mean-- Will you play me the ones that make you call it that…? Your favorites… Or the ones that make you think Elvis knows what he’s talking about.” Waverly tries to save herself from the wrath she sees brewing behind Rosita’s brown eyes at the prospect of her not knowing ‘the king’s’ music well enough. 

Rosita tilts her head, examining Waverly closely, determining whether that answer is to her liking or not. In the end, she smiles softly and shakes her head at the way the other woman is so eager to make sure she knows that she appreciates Elvis. “You’re on thin ice, Earp…” Rosie jokes. “Tread carefully when I put the record on.”

_ The record.  _ Waverly watches as Rosita walks over to something she’d overlooked in her last visit here--a record player. The older woman crouches down and opens a box beside the table the record player sits on. After some sifting, Rosie makes an  _ aha  _ sound and pulls the sleeve from the box. She opens the record player and puts it on. The scratchy, rich sounds of vinyl fill the air a moment later.

_ The Wonder of You _ begins to play. Waverly notices the way Rosita’s eyes close for a few moments as the opening instruments introduce the song. It’s then that Waverly realizes that Rosita witnessed Elvis in all of his glory when he was still alive. It’s then that Waverly realizes the rich history Rosita probably has with music from so many different eras. Elvis must be pretty special to her. 

_ Had to hide ‘em from Rosita. She had four in a row and started seeing some fella by the name of Elvis.  _ Doc’s words from the time the Widows had put them all to sleep come back to her. She smiles secretly at the memory. 

_ When no one else can understand me  
_ _ When everything I do is wrong  
_ _ You give me hope and consolation  
_ _ You give me strength to carry on _

_ And you're always there  
_ _ To lend a hand  
_ _ In everything I do  
_ _ That's the wonder, the wonder of you _

Rosita walks back over to the couch and sits down as the music continues to play around them. “So?” 

Waverly nods. “I get what you mean so far…”

_ And when you smile, the world is brighter  
_ _ You touch my hand and I'm a king  
_ _ Your love for me is worth a fortune  
_ _ Your love for me is everything _

Rosita nods her head with the song as the lyrics continue to play. She tries not to look at Waverly too much. It’d be weird looking at her through a love song, wouldn’t it? When she finally casts a glance to Waverly, she notices the woman doesn’t seem to be dealing with the same dilemma because Waverly’s eyes are fixed on her. It makes her chest twist with a confusing sting. 

_ And I'll never know  
_ _ The reason why  
_ _ You love me as you do  
_ _ That's the wonder, the wonder of you _

Waverly keeps her eyes on Rosita, more interested in the way it makes her friend feel to listen to these songs. It’s just so hard for Waverly to believe that the woman has never been in love before. How could she go over one hundred years on this ugly planet and not find at least one person she connected with on that deep soul-connecting level? 

Then, she remembers. Rosie has always had to run and fight for the life she lived with short intervals of peace when an Heir wasn’t of age, Waverly reasons. Forming a connection would be hard for anyone in Rosie’s shoes. 

_ I guess I'll never know  
_ __ The reason why  
_ You love me as you do  
_ __ That's the wonder, the wonder of you

“Alright… Verdict for song number one?” Rosita asks, walking over to the record player to pause the music. 

“I like it a lot…” Waverly answers softly. “Why’d you choose that one first?” 

Rosita licks her lips. “It’s just one of my favorites. It’s nice to think about having someone… That’s really there for you… Even when you’re being a bitch or an asshole… Someone who knows that you just-- You just need someone to stick by you. And even if you don’t understand why they love you, they do. And it’s okay that you don’t understand it, because you don’t need to. All you need to know is that this person really, really loves you. And that’s the wonder of them…” 

All of the air leaves Waverly’s lungs at once as Rosita rambles on about why she chose this particular song. It _is_ nice to think about. She thinks first to Nicole, her steadfast girlfriend, who tries so hard for everyone around her. But, does she understand Waverly when no one else can? The answer that comes almost immediately makes Waverly tremble.  _ No. And you don’t understand Nicole, either. Not like you thought. Rosie was the one who was there for you when you were being insufferable.  _

That thought stops Waverly in her long train of thought.  _ Rosie was the one.  _ The woman looks to her friend standing by the record player and smiles softly at the way Rosita seems to still be dreaming about the  _ wonder of someone.  _

“It is nice to think about,” Waverly says. It’s all she can think of. What else could she say? 

Rosita looks over to Waverly with a studious sparkle in her eyes, like she’s dissecting the short statement Waverly’s just given her. And she is. Hadn’t Waverly found her  _ wonderful  _ person in Nicole? But they seemed to be fighting… Or at least not talking… _Again,_ Rosita remembers. 

“Do you want to hear some more?” Rosita asks. 

“Yeah, Rosie, of course!” 

Rosita plays Waverly a series of Elvis songs after that, having to switch out records for different songs. Through the course of her sharing the songs, they’d gotten through a couple of glasses of wine and two bags of those dried fruits Waverly brought. Waverly opts for the sparkling peach water after the second glass of wine so she can start to sober up for the last couple hours she spends with Rosie. 

They listen to  _ Can’t Help Falling in Love, Love Me Tender, I Want You, I Need You, I Love You, Suspicious Minds,  _ and _ All Shook Up.  _ Rosie doesn’t explain them all, but they talk about each one. Waverly decides that  _ I Want You, I Need You, I Love You _ is her favorite but that they all make her chest feel warm inside. 

Eventually, the record just plays in the background and Waverly and Rosita talk as they eat the vegan ice cream from the tub with two spoons. 

“I’m sorry things are patchy with Nicole… Do you want to talk more about it?” Rosita offers. 

Waverly sighs, pulling the spoon from her mouth with a soft plop. “I don’t know what to say. I mean, yeah, I do? Want to talk about it… But it’s mostly that… I haven’t been that good at reading what she needs lately. And I think I’m just making her pull away from me.”

“Well, has she been good at reading what you need lately?” 

“Um… Not exactly, I guess. No, she hasn’t,” Waverly admits. The words feel heavy on her tongue, but they’re true. “We both are kind of-- Just going through our own things and we’re trying? I think? She’s really,  _ really  _ throwing herself into work. And like I said last time, Wynonna and Nicole are really the ones who get each other. They’re best friends, so I get it! Sometimes you just need a good friend, not your girlfriend.” The words come out sadder than she intends. 

“It’s okay if you don’t actually get it, Waves,” Rosita assures her. “Regardless of the best friend thing, you still need to be able to talk to your girlfriend and feel like you get each other. Remember what I told you last time?” 

Waverly thinks for a moment and nods. “I need to get up in her face and make things right.” 

“Exactly. Sometimes, you have to make someone sit down and talk to you. Sounds like you two are both beating around the bush. Just sit her down and open the conversation. Have it. No matter what the outcome, you don’t deserve to feel so confused all the time.” 

_ That’s the thing, isn’t it?  _ Waverly thinks. There’s a possibility that the outcome… Won’t be what Waverly wants. Honestly… Waverly doesn’t know what she wants anymore. Rosie’s right. All she feels is confusion lately. Confusion about Nicole. Confusion about whether she should keep trying to figure out her past. Confusion about Rosie. Confusion about Wynonna and Doc and whatever the hell they’re going to do next. Everything is too much. And she can change this. 

“God, what the hell did I do without you all this time?” Waverly jokes, laughing lightly. 

“Sounds like you were pretty miserable and lonely,” Rosita jokes in return. “And like you didn’t have many good conversations. Ugh, you’re so lucky to have me back now.” 

The tone is all light-hearted, but Waverly brings her bottom lip between her teeth and nods. Her eyes shine with sincerity. “I really am, Rosie. You’re such a great friend.” 

“Don’t go getting all sappy on me, Waves…” Rosita reaches out and places a hand on Waverly’s knee. “I’m here for you, though. Whatever you need.” 

Waverly looks down at the hand on her knee and smiles, covering it with her own. “Hey! I’m here for you, too, you know. Is there anything new in Rosieland?” 

Rosita shakes her head and laughs. “Nothing new. I’ve been lying pretty low since this smarty pants genius bombarded me and blew my cover a few days ago.” 

“Ugh, so annoying of that smarty pants genius. Someone should give them a talking-to.” 

Their rapport would never fail to make the both of them smile. 

Waverly’s phone buzzes and she pulls it out to look at it.

**Wyn: w** _ here you at, baby girl? you all good? nic and i just got home.  _

“Wynonna,” Waverly reveals. Rosie nods. 

**Waves:** _ Out with Chrissy. Should be home in a few hours.  _

**Wyn:** _ k good. nic and i are gonna watch one of those dumb movies i guess. see if we can put your little romantic heart at ease.  _

**Waves:** _ OMG! Which one?  _

**Wyn:** _ The Lucky One?  _

**Waves:** _ SO GOOD!!! YOU BETTER TELL ME ALL YOUR THOUGHTS WHEN I GET HOME!!!  _

Waverly feels a little tinge of sadness, despite the happiness she also feels at the texts Wynonna sends. “They’re going to watch a Nicholas Sparks movie… And let me know what they think.”

“Nicole and Wynonna?” Rosita asks with a raised brow. 

“Yeah. They just got home from the case and were asking about me.” 

“Do you need to get going? You can maybe make it back and watch it with them.”

“Nah… I told her I was out with Chrissy and would be home in a few hours.” Waverly says with a sad shrug. 

“Waves…” Rosita says sternly. “Are you avoiding going home because you don’t want to talk to Nicole?” 

Waverly shrugs again. “A little. But I also want to just… Breathe some more here. If that’s okay?” 

Rosita nods. “Breathe all you want. Just promise me you’ll talk to her soon. The forehead crinkles along your eyebrows might be adorable but they also make me really sad.” 

“Okay, I promise.” 


	3. a long overdue talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Waverly finally talk. Things get hectic. Rosita misses Waverly. Waverly misses Rosita.

Three nights ago, Waverly returned to the homestead to find Wynonna and Nicole asleep on the couch. Obviously, neither one of them had been too into  _ The Lucky One.  _ Wynonna’s arms were crossed over her chest and her head was resting on Nicole’s shoulder. It caused Waverly’s heart to soar when she saw them.

Waverly knows Wynonna’s never had a friend like Nicole. Somewhere deep down, she hopes that if… If things don’t work out between her and Nicole, that Wynonna wouldn’t lose her, too. Hell, Waverly really hoped she wouldn’t lose Nicole completely. Despite everything… She still-- Waverly sighs running her hands down her face. 

Nicole’s on her way.  _ To talk.  _ It’s the first time they’ve been able to breathe in the last several days. Well really, it’s the first time that Nicole can’t use work as an excuse to avoid Waverly. Or that Waverly isn’t using… anything… as an excuse to avoid Nicole. 

The muffled sounds of Wynonna and Nicole downstairs cause Waverly to seize up. 

“Oh shit!” She whispers to herself, springing up off the bed. “Shit! What the hell am I going to say?  _ Hey Nicole! We’re really weird lately and we don’t talk at all! What’s up with that?  _ No, that’s awful… Oh my god, what was I thinking? I’m just gonna make things wo--”

The sound of heavy footsteps up the stairs swallow Waverly’s monologue. She scrambles to sit back on the bed, picking up the nearest book and acting like she’s reading it. 

Nicole knocks on the door frame. She looks tired and soft. Waverly softens a little at the sight of her. It’s just Nicole. Understanding, steady and good Nicole. 

“Hey, Waves…” She starts gently. 

Waverly closes the book she hadn’t been reading and places it on the bedside table. “Hey… Come sit down.”

“Is it okay if I stand?” Nicole asks, shoving her hands into her jean pockets. “Feel kinda restless.” 

“Yeah! Of course, it’s okay! I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to be bossy or inconsiderate or--”

“Waves…” Nicole interrupts her softly. “It’s okay, I know you weren’t-- You said we needed to talk?” 

Waverly twists her fingers on each hand, back and forth. “Don’t you-- Think we need to? Talk?” 

Nicole nods. “Yeah.” 

“Okay, that makes me feel better….” Waverly sags noticeably.  _ Everything is going to be okay. Nicole is a part of this family… This team… No matter what.  _ She reminds herself. “So… Things have been… Weird for a while. With us.” 

Nicole shifts and nods again, silently imploring Waverly to keep going. 

“And I think that--” Waverly swallows a lump in her throat and it crashes over her like a tidal wave of destructive clarity. _ They’re going to break up.  _ More specifically…  _ Waverly is about to break up with Nicole.  _

A tight pain surrounds her shoulders, chest and back. It feels like something is expanding under her skin, trying to rip her apart starting with her heart. She doesn’t want to hurt Nicole, but this is what has to be done. Tears form in her eyes and they start to shine in a beautifully tragic way. 

Springing to her feet, Waverly begins with a sad smile, “Nicole, you helped me realize so much about myself. Things I never would have been brave enough to accept if it wasn't for you.” Tears fall down and she takes a step towards Nicole. Her hands are spread out, almost reaching for Nicole. “I just want you to know that I think you're amazing but..." 

Nicole moves in and wraps the smaller woman into a tight hug, nodding. “I know, Waves.” Her voice is gentle and sad. “We don't work... not like this.” She pulls back, keeping Waverly in her arms. “I do love you, though, you know that, right?" 

A bone-deep relief rushes under Waverly’s skin like a refreshing shower, making her clean and brand new again. Nicole is on the same page as her and she’s sad, too, but it’s not Waverly’s fault. Waverly isn’t shattering Nicole into a million pieces and Nicole doesn’t seem to hate her. 

Waverly sniffles and nods, taking a deep breath as her body relaxes into the feeling of solace. For the first time ever, she speaks the next words, “I love you, too, Nicole." Finally, she feels she can say the declaration with earnesty, because she’s not trying to force the connection with Nicole that hadn’t fully formed and never could. She loves Nicole and always would. Just  _ not like that.  _

Nicole smiles sadly down at Waverly and moves to press a sweet kiss to the top of her head. For the first time in  _ months _ , Waverly can feel the comfort that comes from Nicole’s affection. The redhead pulls back again and tilts her head. "Friends?"

Waverly laughs through her tears. After a shake of her head, she exaggeratedly says, "Yeah, sure, Nicole, whatever you want..." She smiles slyly up at Nicole, hoping she’ll understand what she’s referencing. It had been what Nicole had shot back at her in the police car back when Waverly had been struggling with them. Nicole tosses her head back and lets her arms fall away from the woman. Waverly nudges her. "Of course, we're friends."

The suffocating silence that had lived between them for so long disappears. Even in the next few moments when they just look at one another, it feels easy and light, despite the sadness that the both of them feel. Neither one of them wanted this to fail… When did anyone ever want a relationship to fail? 

Nicole speaks after a short while. "Someone will give you that dumb, romantic movie kind of love that you want one day. Don't settle." 

Waverly laughs and punches at the tall woman’s arm playfully. "Shut up." 

"Ooooowww! Please! You're stronger than you look. Can you please remember that?” Nicole says as she rubs over the place where the punch had landed. “But I'm serious, Waves. You deserve it.” Another sad smile spreads across her lips. “I'm sorry it wasn't us." 

The brunette shakes her head, expression showing nothing but understanding. "Don't be.” Waverly gives her a pointed look. “You don't settle either... Even when…” She chews the inside of her lip a little nervously. “Even when it's hard." 

Confusion shows in every inch of Nicole’s face and she freezes. Brown eyes narrow and look at her suspiciously. "Okay… I really need a drink,” Nicole sighs through her words. “I’m gonna go-- Do that. I think-- I think I’m gonna need a little space for a while, just to clear my head. Okay?” 

Waverly nods. “I think that’s a good idea.” 

“I’ll see you later, Waves.” Nicole gives one last smile and leaves. 

Waverly falls back onto the bed, nestling herself in her pillows. She brings one of them to her chest and squeezes tightly. Her face is buried in the pillow next. Tears fall freely as she allows herself to cry, expelling all of the stress and tension that’s been building in her for a million different reasons. Tears of sadness, of joy, of relief, of longing and doubt. 

“Baby girl?” Wynonna’s voice calls out softly from across the room. Waverly looks up in time to see her older sister crawl into bed beside her and wrap her arms around her. “Baby girl… What happened? Are you okay? How’d it go?” 

Waverly leans into the embrace, keeping the pillow against her and shakes her head. 

“Right, sorry... That was too many questions. I’m here, okay? Whatever you need, I’m here.” 

For a long time, Waverly just sits there in Wynonna’s arms and lets herself continue to cry. Wynonna says nothing, just runs her fingers through Waverly’s hair and rubs over her arm in an attempt to comfort her. 

“Thank you,” Waverly almost whispers. Her voice is nearly gone from crying herself out. 

“No thanks needed, baby girl.” Wynonna assures her. 

“We broke up.” 

“I gathered… How are you feeling?” 

Waverly sniffles and breathes out a long breath through her lips. “Relieved mostly, I think? Still sad… It’s not fun to be a big failure.” 

“Wait, what? You’re not a failure! What do you mean?” 

“Just… Shouldn’t I have been able to make it work? We care about each other but I just was always messing up with her and--” 

Wynonna shifts so that she can take Waverly by the shoulders and look her sister in the eyes. “Hey, now. You weren’t always messing up with her. Yeah, you care about each other, but sometimes that’s not enough, Waves. I know I’m no Love Doctor, but I’ve had my share of boyfriends… And girlfriends… Not all of them were terrible losers even if about ninety-eight percent of them were. I--” 

Wynonna swallows hard. She hasn’t talked about this much with anyone yet… “I loved Dolls. And he loved me.” Waverly looks at her older sister with shock. Finally, she’s the one Wynonna confides in.  _ Finally.  _

“We loved each other but we never seemed-- to be able to get it right. Even before--” A tear falls silently down Wynonna’s cheek and she brushes it away quickly. “Sometimes, loving somebody ain’t the whole shebang… And  _ you _ … You, baby girl, you’re the best person in the whole world. You’re not a failure. And I don’t think Haught thinks you are, either.”

“Wow…” Waverly exhales quietly. 

“I’m not good at this, baby girl, I’m sor--”

“No, Wyn, you… That was perfect.” Waverly moves the pillow from her lap and reaches out for Wynonna’s hand, taking it in her own and smoothing her thumb over the back of it. “Thank you. I really needed you.” Waverly chuckles and a few more tears fall from her eyes. 

“I’m right here, Waves. Always. I’m not leaving you again.” 

“I know…. Nicole said she needed space, so I’m sorry if-- I’m sorry if she’s not around as much.” 

Wynonna’s eyebrows pull together and she shakes her head. “Well, duh. I wouldn’t expect you to really want her around as much… Why are you saying sorry?” 

“She’s your best friend,” Waverly states plainly. 

Wynonna looks down and clears her throat, smiling to herself where Waverly can’t see. “I don’t have one of those. Never have.” 

Waverly tilts her head, glaring at her skeptically. “Oh, shut up. You do now. You two are annoying a lot of the time because you’re both so damn stubborn and love fucking with each other, but it’s obvious you two are best friends.” 

“Whatever kind of friend she is, you’re my sister and you come first. Always. And don’t forget it.” 

A moment later, Wynonna’s phone goes off in her pocket. The name that lights up the screen is the “devil” in question.  _ Nicole Haught _ . “Haught?” Wynonna answers. “What?! Okay. We’ll meet you there… Yeah… Well, fuck. Okay. We’ll see you soon.” 

Waverly looks at her expectantly, raising her brows. 

“Bulshar-ish situation. They need your noggin and my big gun. Meet me downstairs in like ten minutes. Tops.” 

***

Rosita sits on her couch. The sounds of old nineties music play over her bluetooth speaker and fill the otherwise quiet flat. It’s been days since the last time Waverly had been able to visit her and the texts had been scarce. She spins her phone around in her hand, pushing the bottom of it against her leg over and over as she turns it. 

Sighing, she unlocks it and looks back at their conversations over the last few days. 

**Waves:** _ I got home and they were asleep on the couch. Guess they didn’t really like the movie.  _

**Rosita:** _ Bummer, Waves. I’m sorry that sucks. You gonna wake them up? _

**W:** _ No, I’ll let them sleep. I’m going to sleep now, though. Goodnight. Thanks for letting me escape again.  _

**R:** _ Anytime. Goodnight.  _

_ Two days ago _

**R:** _ How are you? _

**W:** _ Things are crazy right now. Haven’t had the chance to talk… Still :/  _

**R:** _ Waves… You have got to talk it out. _

**W:** _ Ugh. I know. I’m gonna. I swear.  _

**W:** _ Shit. I gotta go. I’ll text you later.  _

**R:** _ Be careful. Talk to you soon  _

_ Yesterday  _

**W:** _ Hey. _

**R:** _ Hi there. How are things going? _

**W:** _ The same. We’re still crazy busy. She’s at work, so is Wynonna.  _

**R:** _ What are you doing?  _

**W:** _ Research for Jeremy. Wish I could come get another Elvis lesson.  _

**R:** _ LOL I have plenty of those left. _

_ Four hours later  _

**W:** _ So sorry! Had to go help the team.  _

**R:** _ All good. Glad you’re safe.  _

Rosita looks at the message and remembers the way she had typed out  _ I miss you  _ and erased it at least six times. It’s not a weird thing for a friend to say, but it feels deeper than that. Rosita does miss Waverly way more than she’s ever missed any other “friend.” She had decided not to send that message. 

Today, there are no messages from Waverly. It sucks. Waverly is always in the proximity of some kind of danger and Rosita can’t do anything to go check on her or make sure she’s okay because the second she does… She could be looking down the barrel of Peacemaker and kissing her long life goodbye. 

So, she waits. She reads. She goes into the city and dances at the club. She learns new recipes so that she can make better vegan things whenever Waverly comes over. She pretends to bartend in her kitchen. 

At least, she has a few revenant friends who live the same lowkey life that she does. This damned curse is so unfair. Some of Wyatt’s victims had never done anything wrong when Peacemaker shot them dead. The thought of her friends meeting the fate of being dragged to hell so that Wynonna can break this curse makes her stomach churn. 

What other choice did any of them have? Rosita groans, tossing her phone off to the side on the couch and rising to her feet. Time to drink a little bit and try to relax for the rest of the night. 

***

_ The Next Day  _

Rosita wakes and reaches for her phone. Still nothing from Waverly. She types out a quick message. 

**R:** _ Hey, you alright over there?  _

Rosita lays back against her pillows and waits a long while for a reply, but one doesn’t come. 

Not until the end of the night when Rosita’s about to make her way back into bed. 

**W:** _ Oh my god! I’m so sorry! Yes, I’m good. So much is happening. I can barely keep up.  _

**R:** _ You don’t have to be sorry. Glad you’re okay.  _

**W:** _ I’m so tired. I’m about to pass out, but thank you for checking on me. You’re the sweetest.  _

**R:** _ Get some rest, Waves. We’ll talk soon.  _

**W:** _ I hope so. Goodnight.  _

Rosita smiles softly at the reply. Part of her wants to ask Waverly if she’s been able to talk to Nicole or even Wynonna. The thought of Waverly being so lonely in the midst of all this chaos feels like someone’s scraping the insides of her heart out. But, she doesn’t want to push. If Waverly wants to talk about it, she will. 

***

Waverly sets her phone on her bedside table and looks out the window from where she’s lying. She misses Rosie. The exhaustion settles in every inch of her as she stares at the moon. Everything should be different. Rosita should be able to visit her. That’s in a perfect world where Rosita could even be around everyone else in their little gang… 

Wynonna hadn’t even mentioned Rosita once. The Heir’s meant to be hunting her down and hellbent on killing Rosita, but with everything else… Maybe she could bring it up. The thought terrifies her and she can’t until Rosita says it’s okay. 

The prospect of losing Rosie right now… She just can’t. Her phone buzzes and she reaches for it excitedly, hoping that Rosie’s texting her again, but it’s just Jeremy. 

**J:** _ Waves, Robin and I are going out tomorrow and we want you to come with us.  _

**W:** _ IDK _

**J:** _ No pressure. Just go out with us and maybe dance, drink a little. Let’s take advantage of a day off and get away from the demons and shit for a while. Please?  _

**W:** _ Okay, fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.  _

**W:** _ I’m going to sleep now. Night.  _

**J:** _ Yes!!! This is going to be SO. MUCH. FUN!!!!  _

Waverly sighs and puts her phone back on the bedside table. Tomorrow could be fun… It would be even better if she could invite Rosie. Maybe, she should cancel with Jeremy and Robin already and ask Rosie if she can come over. 

No… It’d been too long since she could hang out with Jeremy and she misses him, too… Jeremy and Rosie had been so close…She  _ could _ talk to Jeremy about her. 

She has to ask Rosita first. This time, she’s not betraying her trust. Not for anything. Not when she’s been the one who has made her feel normal every time she’s needed it most -- even when she didn’t have to. 

Her door creaks open slowly and she turns to find Wynonna peeking inside. 

“I’m up, Wyn,” Waverly says weakly… “Probably not for long, but…” 

“I was just checkin’ on ya, baby girl. It’s been a hectic week. You okay?” 

Waverly takes a moment and shrugs, barely visible in the moonlit room. “As okay as I can be. Oh, and I’m going out with Jer and Robin tomorrow night. Is that cool?” 

Wynonna smiles at her baby sister softly. “I think that’ll be good for you. I’ll probably hit up Shorty’s…” 

“Try not to get so wasted I have to come get you this time.” 

Wynonna shakes her head. “Don’t worry, I’ll be alright. I won’t ruin your night out. Might see if Haught’ll wrangle me just so you can rest easy… If that’s okay with you.” 

“Wyn, I told you… She’s your best friend. You don’t have to ask me if you can hang out with your best friend. It’s not like we hate each other. And it would make me feel better if she was there to keep you from getting too far gone.” 

“Okay… Sleep, baby girl, we deserve a little bit of a break tomorrow. G’night. I love you, kid,” Wynonna says warmly. 

“I love you, ‘Nonna,” Waverly answers with a grin. She’s asleep almost the instant the door closes. 


	4. i wanna dance with somebody

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly goes out with Robin and Jeremy. A familiar face catches her eye.

Waverly stands in front of the mirror and adjusts her outfit for what feels like the hundredth time.

A white, tight-fitting cropped tank top and an  _ even tighter fitting _ high-waisted pastel pink satin skirt with a slit, finished off with matching pink strappy block heels. Her hair hangs in pretty curls, her bangs fixed just right. Her makeup looks beautiful. She’d be  _ perfect _ to anyone who was looking. 

It just feels weird to her, though, to be wearing something like this. Weird to be going out with her friends to have fun after breaking up with Nicole a couple of days ago. Not to mention being in the midst of all the other supernatural shit they’re always dealing with. 

Most of all, Waverly finds herself thinking that the weirdest part… the part that feels the most out of place… is that  _ Rosita _ won’t be there with her. She pulls in a deep breath and shakes her head when she releases it. 

The youngest Earp straightens one of the necklaces she’s wearing and starts to think about the time Rosie had swept her off to the spa that night a few months ago. They’d been having so much fun, laughing and talking, drinking. Waverly had forgotten about everything that was bothering her, all because of Rosita. Then, they kissed… Waverly still remembers how it had felt.

Now, it’s been five whole days since the last time she saw her and Waverly wants nothing more than to be sitting on her couch listening to Elvis and letting Rosie’s company soothe her. 

A part of her begins to feel bad that she doesn’t really want to go hang out with Robin and Jeremy, but she doesn’t have time because she sees the headlights from Jeremy’s car through the window. 

She gives her bangs one final flick of adjustment and peels herself away from the mirror, grabbing her small bag off the bed and heading downstairs. 

*** 

The drive there is actually  _ fun _ . Waverly finds herself laughing and singing along to the music with the boys. It’s a much better start to the night than she’d been cynically expecting. 

The club is loud and packed with people, not that Waverly expected any less from one of the only gay clubs in the Ghost River Triangle. The three of them hold hands as they squeeze their way through the sea of people and find their way onto the dancefloor. 

Within the hour, so many women and a fair share of men come to try and get Waverly to dance with them. She politely declines each one, keeping herself near Jeremy or Robin instead. 

“Why don’t you wanna dance with anyone, Waves?” Jeremy asks, leaning in against her ear to be heard over the pumping music and cacophony of voices. 

“I just…  _ don’t _ . No reason.” Waverly shrugs. It’s kind of true. There is no one here that she wants to dance with. 

“I thought the breakup was mutual. You’re not still –” Jeremy makes a face and gestures with his hands. 

“What? No, Jer. It was mutual. I’m not  _ not _ dancing with someone because I’m still hung up on Nicole, that’s for sure,” she assures, raising her eyebrows. 

Truthfully, the only person she knows she’d wanna dance with just isn’t here, but she doesn’t say that. It still aches, not being able to talk about Rosita and all the fun they’ve been having together. Not to hear her name included in conversations. 

She wants so badly to just tell Jeremy, knowing he’d be able to keep the secret and that he’d be so happy to know Rosita is alive and okay. That she and Waverly are okay. But she won’t, not until Rosita gives her the go ahead. 

Jeremy narrows his eyes at her. “Is there someone else?” He asks in a completely non-accusing way. Still, it strikes Waverly. 

She hasn’t even been able to let herself think too much about what she might or might not be feeling for Rosita. Every time her mind tries to wander there, she keeps reminding herself that there’s no way that Rosita feels that way about her.  _ Surely _ . Thinking about it now makes her heart ache a little. 

“No. We just broke up two days ago. It wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot but I didn’t – cheat or anything like that.” It stings a bit to say that word. 

Waverly hates thinking back to hurting Nicole with the way she’d acted and the things she’d said. She also kind of hates that she  _ doesn’t hate _ the memory of kissing Rosita. 

“I wasn’t saying that you did, Waves! I was just asking! You can meet someone in two days, you know?” Jeremy says reassuringly. 

“Or someone from before… you know you could start getting feelings or – or anything really. Things happen! It’s okay to feel stuff, you’re not doing anything wrong either way.” Robin leans in and adds. 

Jeremy smiles and nods, agreeing with his boyfriend. He wraps an arm around Waverly’s shoulders and presses a kiss to the side of her head. 

Waverly smiles, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning into the embrace. “Thank you. And thank you guys for bringing me out… I am actually having a lot of fun.” She admits, reaching out with one hand to pat Robin’s arm. 

“How could you not? You’re with us!” Jeremy grins, grabbing Waverly in a way that makes her laugh. 

“I know, I know… geez, I’ve missed you guys so much.” She sighs, looking at both of them. 

“Well, you’re about to have to miss us again unless you wanna come with us to grab a drink?” Robin asks. 

“No, no you guys go ahead.” Waverly smiles, pulling away from them and watching as they take each other’s hands and head off towards the bar. 

Waverly starts to think about Jeremy and Robin’s questions and the things they’d told her as she moves to settle with her back against the closest wall. They’re right. Whatever she feels… is her own business. 

She pulls her phone out of her bag to check the time, and maybe also check to see if she’d gotten any texts from Rosita. And…  _ nothing. _ Waverly sighs, shoving the phone back into her bag and crossing her arms. 

The song  _ God is a Woman _ by Ariana Grande starts to play and the lights change to a sexy purple-pink color. There are so many people dancing on top of one another, pressing up against each other… but Waverly’s eyes focus on one woman dancing alone. 

Her back is turned, Waverly can only see her long, wavy dark hair and the fact that she’s wearing extremely short denim shorts, over-the-knee black velvet boots and a denim jacket that sags off her shoulders a bit. The way that she moves and sways to the music is intriguing. 

Waverly thinks to herself for a moment that, in size and stature, the woman resembles Rosita. It doesn’t help that that is definitely an outfit that Rosie would wear. Waverly finds herself tilting her head and continuing to stare. 

When the mystery woman turns around, still dancing to the incredibly sexy song, Waverly’s heart stops. It  _ is _ her. It’s Rosita, without a doubt. 

Waverly’s jaw drops, her eyebrows pulling up and together as she sees the rest of her outfit. A black, mock-neck, long-sleeve, see-through shirt over just a black bra. Waverly feels heat rise in her chest and her cheeks as she watches her.

It’s like everything stops and the moment happens in slow motion. Rosita moves her body expertly to the music, to this song that, right now, Waverly swears was written with Rosita in mind. She looks absolutely regal. 

Waverly’s palms start to feel sweaty as she entertains the idea of going up to her and asking her to dance. She even starts to picture the two of them dancing together, the way some of these other couples are. It’s a sexy image that makes Waverly shudder but it’s wiped away completely a second later. 

A beautiful blonde woman a few inches shorter than Rosie is in her heels walks up to her instead. Waverly watches Rosita smile to the woman, nodding and reaching out her hands for her to step into her space.

The younger woman starts to feel jealousy rising up inside of her like a storm. Waverly feels it crawl up her throat until she can taste it on her tongue. 

It gets worse somehow when Rosita rests her hands on the other woman’s hips and turns her around, pressing her back against Rosita’s front. Waverly bites down hard on her cheek and crosses her arms over her chest, sinking back against the wall. 

Sadness starts to mix itself with the jealousy and together the two violent emotions fill Waverly up. Rosita is here with another girl, having so much fun.  _ Of course she is, she should be,  _ Waverly tries to tell herself but it doesn’t sink in.  _ You’re so selfish and you always will be, _ she thinks a moment later.  _ It’s none of your business. She’s not your girlfriend. She doesn’t even like you. Not like that.  _

Waverly sighs at her bitter inner monologue and when she looks back up to the couple, Rosita locks eyes with her almost immediately. Waverly swears that her heart skips a beat when the Revenant seems to light up upon seeing her. 

She tries to tell herself that maybe it’s not because of her, maybe Rosie hadn’t seen her at all, that she’s looking at someone standing behind her. Then Waverly remembers that she’s standing against the wall. 

The Earp woman raises a hand to give her a gentle wave, the corner of her mouth pulling up softly. Rosita whispers something to the blonde and takes her hands off her hips, moving around her and heading straight towards Waverly. 

Waverly feels herself start to panic with nervousness a little bit.  _ It’s Rosie, it’s your friend,  _ she says to herself in her head. “Yeah, my friend who looks like  _ that. _ ” Waverly mumbles out loud to herself, taking a deep breath and shaking her head to clear it just before Rosie gets to her. 

“Waves, oh my god. I didn’t know you were here.” Rosita grins a bright, beautiful smile and reaches for Waverly’s hands without thinking about it. 

Waverly’s eyes go to their hands and her heart leaps again. God, she’d missed Rosita. It’s so apparent as soon as they’re together. As soon as Rosita is touching her and the soothing scent of cherry blossoms is washing over her. She looks back up to Rosita and manages a small smile. 

“I – I yeah, I’m here with Jeremy and Robin… Don’t worry though, they went to get drinks but it seems like they got kinda lost. You look – great by the way.” She stumbles a bit over her words. It’s weird to be outside of Rosita’s apartment with her--in a place like this where anyone else they know could be--where her two friends could come back at any moment and see them together. 

Rosita smiles a little more shyly at the compliment and bites at her bottom lip. “Thanks, you –- you look really beautiful, too.” Rosita sighs, her eyes going back to the slit in Waverly’s skirt over and over again. She pulls them back up to Waverly’s face eventually and finds that she looks – kind of  _ sad _ ? 

“Nicole isn’t here?” Rosita questions sincerely, tilting her head to the side a bit. 

Waverly’s eyes well with tears at the mention of Nicole on top of everything else she’d found herself feeling tonight. On top of  _ everything.  _ Waverly realizes that she hasn’t had the chance to talk to Rosie about everything. 

She does her best to keep the tears from coming as she shakes her head, clenching her jaw a bit. It doesn’t work. 

“Oh, Waves… did something happen?” Rosita asks gently, tightening her hand on Waverly’s. 

Waverly starts to cry more, making a pitiful sound as she looks down at her feet. 

“Come here… come with me.” Rosita says softly, lacing her fingers with Waverly’s and pulling her along towards the nearest exit. 

The chilly night air hits them and the music fades as they step outside and let the door close behind them. 

Waverly’s crying is louder with all of the music gone and she’s shivering in her little outfit. Rosita feels like her heart is breaking. “Waves…here.” The Revenant moves to pull her denim jacket the rest of the way off and holds it up for Waverly to shrug into instead. 

Waverly sniffles, turning around and letting Rosita help her into the jacket. The action is charming and sweet and makes Waverly hurt even more. Why is she doing something so sweet for her when she’d been in there dancing with a pretty girl? Waverly makes another sad sound before she starts crying much harder. 

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here.” Rosita coos, turning Waverly back around and wrapping her up in her arms. 

The tiny woman collapses against Rosita’s chest, crying and letting herself be held by her. 

“Shhhh, I’ve got you, Waves. Always.” Rosita whispers, over and over. She holds Waverly close and plays with her hair, letting her cry for as long as she needs to. 

Eventually, the sobs subside and Waverly’s breathing starts to slow. She pushes herself back a bit, her hands still resting at Rosita’s chest. She busies herself by straightening one of the gold necklaces Rosita is wearing as she continues to sniffle. 

Rosita smiles softly at her. She’s usually shorter than Waverly, even if only a little bit. Right now she’s taller and it makes her feel even more protective over the other woman. She reaches up and wipes at the remaining wetness underneath Waverly’s eyes. 

“We broke up.” Waverly finally says, sounding even smaller than she looks. 

“I’m sorry, Waves… God, I’m so sorry that ––” 

“No, it’s –– it was me, I broke up with her, technically. But we both – we both wanted to.” 

Rosita falters for a moment. A tiny ember of hope begins to burn inside of her but she pushes it down, feeling awful for it. 

“Oh… then… Why are you crying?” 

“Because. I don’t know. A lot of reasons. I still care about her, just not – like that. It still sucks that it’s over. And I missed you. A lot of things.” Waverly says, sighing and looking up at Rosita. 

Rosita softens even more, hoping that the shift in her face isn’t obvious or that Waverly can’t feel the way her heart is speeding with how her hands are positioned on her chest. 

“I missed you, too, Waverly.” Rosita says sweetly, wiping the last of Waverly’s tears away. She pauses for a moment, looking down before she asks, “Do you wanna come home with me? We can hang out, talk more if you need to. Whatever you want.” 

Waverly looks up at her with shiny red eyes, her eyebrows pulling together. 

“Oh, no, Rosie I – I don’t want you to leave that girl you’re here with.” Waverly says softly, her voice threatening to break again. It doesn’t, thankfully. 

Rosita’s eyes narrow and her eyebrows pull together in confusion. “That wha – Waverly, I’m here by myself, what are you –– wait, do you mean that girl that started dancing with me? I don’t even know her name… or honestly, what she even looks like.” Rosita quirks her lips to the side, shaking her head. She doesn’t know why she’s defending herself or _ if  _ she’s defending herself? 

Rosie takes a deep breath and straightens up, moving her hands to Waverly’s hips. “I just –– I saw  _ you _ and –” She stops herself, swallowing thickly. 

Waverly’s eyes brighten and her lips threaten to form a smile. That sounded like –- like maybe… No. Waverly doesn’t let herself think too much about it. 

“Are you sure? You looked like you were having fun and I –”

“Waves, I’m with the girl who needs me right now.” Rosita cuts her off kindly, “Right where I wanna be. And besides, I always have the  _ most _ fun when I’m with you.” Rosita assures. 

Waverly doesn’t try to argue again. She takes a deep breath and nods instead, finally smiling gently up at her. “Okay, yeah. Let’s go. I’ll just text them when we’re in the car.” She lets her hand slide down to take Rosie’s. 

Rosita aches at the feeling of Waverly’s hand in hers. It feels perfect, like they were meant to fit together. She tries to stop thinking about the striking truth of it as she walks Waverly to her car. 

Soon they’re standing next to Rosie's pretty black ‘74 Pontiac Firebird. Waverly’s eyes widen a bit at the car. It’s sexy and old and exactly something she could picture Rosita driving. 

She turns her head to smile up at the woman who is leaning in to unlock the door. “Your car is  _ hot _ , Rosie.” Rosita laughs at the comment. 

“Why, thank you. I don’t know if I ever told you, but your red Jeep is pretty hot, too. So wasn’t expecting someone so tiny to drive that thing.” 

Waverly rolls her eyes playfully and finds herself smiling as she reaches for the handle. Rosita’s hand gets there first, opening the door and motioning for Waverly to get in. The action is simple but it makes Waverly’s heart flutter. 

Once they’re both in the car, Waverly types out a text for Jeremy. 

**Waves:** _Hey I left with a friend. You guys be safe. Text when you’re home. Love you <3 _

Rosita looks over at Waverly when she drops her phone to her lap. “You okay?” She asks softly. 

Waverly smiles and nods at her. “Yeah, I’m good.” 

Rosita grins back, nodding once before turning up the radio as they pull out of the parking lot. It’s the middle of the song, but Waverly recognizes it immediately,  _ Rhiannon _ by Fleetwood Mac. 

Waverly watches Rosita drive for a moment as the song plays. 

_ She rings like a bell through the night   
_ _ And wouldn’t you love to love her? _

Her eyes go to Rosita’s lips before she makes herself look away and down at her lap.  _ I think I would _ , she thinks to herself. 

***

Rosita unlocks the door to her apartment and lets Waverly step in first. Waverly takes a deep breath the moment she’s inside and visibly relaxes. She walks deeper into the flat and takes Rosita’s jacket off, throwing it onto the couch. Not facing Rosita, she starts to ramble, “God, Rosie, I’m so sorry. That was so lame of me. You were having fun!”

“Waves,” Rosie’s voice is firm but gentle. She smiles. “Stop. Nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who invited you back here to get away from there. This is gonna be way better… even if it isn’t as ‘fun,’” she jokes. 

Waverly turns to look at Rosita. The sweet smile on those lips comforts her and brings a mirroring expression to her face. “Okay…” Waverly relents. 

“As hot as they are, kick off those heels of yours. I’m getting us a drink and then…  _ We’re _ gonna dance…” 

“What?” Waverly asks, but Rosita’s already off to the kitchen. A small smirk plays at the corner of her lips. She would have loved to dance with Rosita back at the club. Maybe, one day, they could… Dancing in her living room sounds… Waverly chews her lip as the last word comes to mind.  _ Romantic.  _

Rosita’s back right as Waverly slips off her shoes and pushes them to the side from where she’s sat herself on the couch. Rosita hands her a glass of wine and sets hers down onto the coffee table. She falls down onto the cushion beside Waverly so she can pull off her over-the-knee boots. 

“Let me put on your favorite Elvis song from last time and then you’re getting your ass up and dancing with me. No ifs, ands, or buts!” Rosita flashes her a grin. She takes a long drink from her glass and runs to put the record on. 

The opening notes of  _ I Want You, I Need You, I Love You  _ by Elvis Presley fills the room. Rosita turns to Waverly so that she can strum the opening riff with her air guitar as she walks back towards her. Waverly giggles at the silliness a moment before Rosita reaches out with those hands and pulls her to her feet. 

Waverly stumbles into Rosita’s chest, but Rosita steadies her. Each of their hands are joined with each of the other’s. Rosita brings one to her chest and holds the others out to the side. Together, they swing overdramatically to the music. Rosita begins to sing the words with exaggeratedly pursed lips, imitating Elvis. 

_ Hold me close, hold me tight  
_ _ Make me thrill with delight  
_ _ Let me know where I stand from the start  
_ _ I want you, I need you, I love you _

Rosita skips over singing the  _ I love you _ in favor of dipping Waverly dramatically and bringing her back up with a bright laugh. Waverly can’t help but laugh just the same. 

_ With all my heart _

Rosita presses their joined hands against her chest dramatically, throwing her head back as she continues to sing. 

_ Every time that you're near  
_ _ All my cares disappear  
_ _ Darling, you're all that I'm living for  
_ _ I want you, I need you, I love you _

Once again, she skips over  _ I love you _ and swings Waverly out, spinning her back into her arms a moment later. They dance just like that for a few more lines. Waverly’s arms cross over her body and her back is partially pressed into Rosita’s front. Their hands are joined at Waverly’s rib and over her bicep that’s pressed into Rosita. 

_ More and more _

As the music bounces slightly, so do they. Waverly looks over her shoulder at Rosita who has gotten a bit more serious, dropping the pursed lips but continuing to sing. She wonders for a moment if Rosita could possibly mean what she’s singing.  _ Shut up, Waverly. She’s just trying to make you feel better.  _

_ I thought I could live without romance  
_ _ Until you came to me  
_ _ But now I know that  
_ _ I will go on loving you eternally _

Rosita spins her back out so that they can right themselves to their original stance, swaying dramatically once more. She refuses to sing  _ I love you  _ and hopes it isn’t terribly obvious why. 

_ Won't you please be my own?  
_ _ Never leave me alone  
_ _ 'Cause I die every time we're apart  
_ _ I want you, I need you, I love you  
_ _ With all my heart _

Waverly slows Rosita down after this verse and looks up at her with soft eyes. Rosita continues to sway lightly but lets Waverly adjust them. Waverly rests her head against Rosita’s shoulder and Rosita rests her head against hers. One of Waverly’s arms wraps around Rosita’s shoulder while Rosita’s hand settles on the small of Waverly’s back. Their other hands stay joined over Rosita’s chest. They slow dance like that for the remainder of the song. 

_ I thought I could live without romance  
_ _ Until you came to me  
_ _ But now I know that  
_ _ I will go on loving you eternally _

_ Won’t you please be my own?  
_ _ Never leave me alone  
_ __ 'Cause I die every time we're apart  
_ I want you, I need you, I love you  
_ __ With all my heart

The closing guitar strums bring Waverly’s head to lift and look at Rosita. Silence fills the air as the record single concludes. For a moment, they just stare. Waverly’s eyes fall to Rosita’s lips, settling there for a few seconds. She chews on her own. 

Rosita considers it. Long tortuous moments of silence are broken by Rosita clearing her throat and pulling away a little. She can’t bring herself to let go of Waverly completely, so the woman is still in her arms--just with a little more distance between their faces. “Any requests? You can choose anything--I don’t have to have it on vinyl.” 

Waverly’s face falls a bit when Rosita ends the spell.  _ She’s your friend. Don’t screw this up by kissing her again.  _ Waverly  _ really  _ wants to kiss her again, though. “Um… No song requests but… Do you think… Well, I don’t have to-- You can say no! I just was wondering-- No, it’s dumb… I shouldn’t…” 

“Hey…” Rosita beckons her softly. “What is it, Waves?” 

“Do you think I could stay here… tonight?” 

Rosita answers almost instantly. “Of course.” 

“Thank you…” 

“Won’t they get suspicious?” Rosita questions, slightly scared of the answer. 

Waverly shrugs. “I don’t have to tell anyone everything… They don’t tell me everything, so… I’m allowed to have something that’s just  _ mine. _ ” 

Rosita feels a tingling sensation start in her biceps and travel down in a wave to her fingertips. She knows that Waverly isn’t saying that  _ she  _ herself is Waverly’s… But the thought… Is nice. “Damn right you are,” Rosita assures with a smile. What she really wants to say is  _ I am yours if you really want me to be.  _ But it’s too soon. Waverly had only broken up with Nicole mere days ago. She doesn’t want to be the rebound. “Do you wanna dance some more? Or are you tired?” 

“Could we maybe watch a movie? I love dancing with you, don’t get me wrong, but I kind of want to just… Sit with you for a while.” Waverly looks at Rosita with a bit of a pout and sways bashfully. 

“Yeah, for sure. Movie request?” 

“Can we watch  _ Beauty and the Beast?  _ The new live action one? I really like Emma Watson…” 

“It’s because she always plays book nerds like you…” Rosita teases with a cheeky smile. 

Waverly pushes the woman away playfully. “Hey! Oh like you, Miss I-Have-Three-PHDs, isn’t a  _ wayyy  _ bigger nerd than me!”

“If I was as big a nerd as you, I’d have like fifteen PHDs with how old I am…” 

Waverly crosses her arms and pouts indignantly. There’s a shining light in her eyes, though. Rosita chuckles at her and raises her eyebrows. Waverly cracks a moment later, grinning. “Can we watch the movie or not?” 

“Yeah. Want snacks?” 

“Got any trail mix?” 

“Yep. Put the movie on and I’ll be right back.” 

Waverly obliges. She reaches over and pulls her phone from the pocket of Rosita’s jacket and types out a quick message for Wynonna. 

**Waves:** _Hey ‘Nonna. I’m staying with a friend tonight. See you tomorrow. I love you._

**Wyn:** _ All good, baby girl. I love you, too.  _

Waverly shoves her phone to the side again and a few minutes later, she and Rosita are sitting side-by-side near the middle of the couch, the both of them trying to be close to the other. As the movie opens on a rose, Waverly smiles. 

As Belle’s voice sounds for the first time and Emma Watson appears on the screen, Rosita only sees her for a moment. Soon, Rosita imagines Waverly in the iconic blue dress. Waverly would be so adorably perfect for this role… Walking around with her nose stuck in a book with a town full of people who misunderstood her, even if they liked her. Belle is  _ the  _ perfect representation for Waverly. 

Waverly mouths the words until she can’t stand it anymore and begins to sing them aloud. Rosita doesn’t even pretend to watch the movie when Waverly sings. She even has the voice for it. Rosita thinks Waverly missed her calling. 

“Ugh, stupid oaf,” Waverly comments when Gaston appears on screen. “I can’t believe I ever dated someone like him.” 

Rosita chuckles. “I’ve dated like ten of him… Never fun… Learned my lesson about, hmmm, fifty years ago?” She jokes. 

“Never again!” 

The movie progresses and Beast is introduced. Rosita gets lost in thought again… A movie about a beauty and her beast hits closer to home than she had realized originally. She’s a beast--a literal demon. Waverly’s… the beauty, an angel in Rosita’s eyes. The woman could never love her… Could never love a beast. 

No matter what this stupid movie says. At the end of the day, Waverly’s love wouldn’t magically cure her demonness, not like in this fairytale. 

Their wine glasses are empty about halfway through the movie and the bag of trail mix is almost crumbs. 

With about fifteen minutes left, Waverly slumps against Rosita’s shoulder and a few moments later, she goes incredibly still. Rosita moves carefully to examine Waverly’s face and she’s fallen asleep. 

“Waves…” Rosita says softly. “Hey…” 

“Hmm?” Waverly sits up and looks to Rosita. “Hmm? Oh… I guess I dozed off.”

“Just for a few… Let me get you some better clothes. You take my bed tonight.” Rosita stands and reaches for Waverly’s hand without thinking. Waverly takes it and lets the woman lead her to her bedroom. 

Rosita pulls out an oversized t-shirt and a pair of shorts and hands them to Waverly. 

“Rosie, I don’t want to take your bed! I can sleep on the couch.” Waverly insists. 

“I’ve slept on  _ way _ worse in my time, Waves. You’re taking the bed and that’s that, okay?” Rosita flashes her a smile and gathers clothes for herself. “Get some rest and I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“Are you sure?” 

Rosita doesn’t respond. She gives her a pointed look, another smile, and goes to walk away. “Goodnight, Waverly.”

“Night, Rosie…” 

Waverly changes into Rosita’s clothes and hums when the smell of her surrounds her. Sweet cherry blossoms and another scent that’s naturally Rosita. It gets better when Waverly is beneath the duvets and the scent truly overwhelms her. 

Despite having fallen asleep mere moments earlier, Waverly feels restless now. She tosses, turns, and sighs. Her eyes adjust to the darkness and she makes out a place on the ceiling to hyperfixate on for several minutes. She sighs heavily again and rises to her feet. 

Rosita’s lying on the couch with her face in her hand watching  _ One Day at a Time  _ at almost no volume when Waverly approaches her slowly. Brown eyes find the adorable sight of Waverly Earp in her clothes and Rosita melts. 

“Rosie?” Waverly calls softly. 

“Waves… Are you okay?” She asks, sitting up. 

Waverly shifts her weight from foot to foot and looks down at the floor. “I can’t fall asleep again… Could you-- Will you come sleep with me in the bed?” 

Rosita warms all over her body. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel weird.”

“It--” Waverly clears her throat. “It feels weird you being out here and not in there with me. Sorry if  _ that’s _ weird to say.” 

“It’s not. I get it. I was feeling kinda restless out here, too…” Rosita picks up the remote and turns the television off. “If you’re sure…”

“I am,” Waverly states firmly. 

Rosita rises to her feet and Waverly’s breath catches at the way the camisole hangs loosely from Rosita’s perfect body and the way the short shorts form perfectly over Rosita’s bottom. Rosita walks past her and leads the both of them back into the room. 

Rosita notes the side of the bed that’s turned down and moves to the other side, settling in first. Waverly takes a deep breath and joins her a moment later. They face each other in the bed and look into each other’s eyes. 

“Thank you for tonight, Rosie… I always feel like I can catch my breath when I get to be with you,” Waverly admits softly. 

“You don’t have to thank me every time you’re over here, you know. I actually like hanging out with you and spending time with you.” 

Waverly smiles. “I know. I’m just still-- grateful for you.”

“Well, I’m grateful for you, too.”

Waverly shivers a bit.

“You cold?” Rosita asks, reaching out and placing her hand over Waverly’s arm. 

“I’m always cold. I have to sleep with lots of blankets, but I’ll be okay! Don’t worry.” 

“Well… I’m always warm,” Rosita says softy, smoothing her thumb over Waverly’s perfectly smooth skin. 

There seems to be an implication in Rosita’s words, but Waverly thinks for the  _ nth _ time that she’s thinking wishfully. “Must be nice,” Waverly manages. 

Rosita scoots closer a moment later and opens herself up. “I have warmth to share… C’mere… If you want.” 

Waverly smiles bashfully and moves herself into Rosita’s arms. Waverly’s head settles against Rosita’s chest and her arm drapes over Rosita’s middle. Rosita  _ is  _ naturally warm. Rosita wraps her own arms around Waverly’s small, cool frame. 

“Geeze, Waves… You are cold.”

“Mmm and you’re  _ so  _ warm. So comfy.” Waverly’s mouth opens wide on the  _ o _ in the last word as she yawns quietly. 

Rosita smiles in the darkness. “Sleep now.” 

“Mmmkay,” Waverly says dreamily as her eyes close heavily. “Night, Rosie. You’re the best.”

“G’night, Waves.” 


	5. if it’s all the same to you, then it’s just a little white lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly wakes up at Rosita's place and spends the morning with her. Wynonna makes some discoveries that could unravel a secret.

“Mmmm, Waves…” Rosita’s voice is thick with sleep, even scratchier than usual as she moans. She pulls Waverly even tighter against her and smirks. 

Waverly pushes against Rosita, rolling her hips into the woman she’s sleeping with. 

Awareness washes over Waverly as her eyes drift open. Rosita’s bedroom pulls into focus as she wakes from one of the best sleeps she’s had in a short while. She’s facing the window and she can feel Rosita curled around her body from behind. The woman’s grip on her is tight and feels  _ so damn right.  _

_ Wait,  _ Waverly thinks to herself as her haze lifts little by little. 

“Waverly…” Rosita’s sleepy voice sounds again. Waverly can tell she’s smiling from the way her name slips off her lips. 

“Rosie?” Waverly whispers quietly. 

There’s no reply. Rosita nestles into the back of Waverly’s neck and pulls her closer again. 

“Just... like... that... Waves…” 

It’s unmistakable now. Rosita is still asleep and…  _ dreaming  _ about Waverly. Waverly looks upward and mouths the words  _ oh my god  _ to whatever deity has its eyes on her at the moment. This is torture… Waverly should turn over and wake her up… This feels… Waverly chews on her bottom lip, grinding her teeth back and forth to bring a delicious pain. It feels  _ sexy.  _

_ This is so wrong,  _ Waverly tries to convince herself.  _ She’s just dreaming. It’s not your fault. But you could wake her up…  _

Rosita takes in a deep breath and her arm loosens around Waverly’s abdomen a moment later. Waverly moves carefully, but deliberately onto her back. Rosita seems to stir then, but doesn’t move her arm away from where it rests over Waverly’s body. Waverly places her hand on Rosita’s forearm there. 

“Rosie…” Waverly says again, a little louder this time. 

Rosita’s eyes blink slowly, trying to get rid of the sleep keeping them heavy. “Hmm?” Her voice shifts a bit, still too damn sexy for Waverly first thing in the morning. A few blinks later she opens her eyes fully and smiles sweetly when she sees Waverly looking at her. “G’morning. How’d you sleep?” 

Waverly smile in return. “Pretty great… How about you?” Her lips pull to the side sneakily as she thinks about Rosita still having  _ images  _ fresh on her mind. 

“Hmm… Pretty great for me, too…” 

“Have sweet dreams?” Waverly can’t resist the teasing. Part of her wants Rosita to tell the truth… Part of her wonders if the woman will try to hide it 

“Why…?” Rosita questions without wavering. “Did I talk in my sleep or something?” 

Waverly can feel all of the heat rush to cheeks at once, then spread down to her neck.  _ Shit.  _ Rosita turns the tables on her and Waverly has to force herself to shrug. “I just woke up a second before you did,” Waverly says honestly. 

Rosita smirks and rolls onto her back so that she can stretch her whole body. Waverly mourns the loss of being safe in her arms, but takes the same opportunity to stretch her own body. As Rosita settles with both hands under her head, Waverly watches the way her arms flex and relax. She remembers walking in on Doc and Rosita after the sleeping spell and how…  _ flexible  _ Rosita is.

“You wanna grab coffee?” Rosita asks, rolling her head to the side, catching Waverly’s eyes drifting over her body. 

“Huh? Coffee?”

“Yeah… Coffee… There’s a place not far from here… I like to go there and draw sometimes… Never seen one of your crew there before. Should be safe, if you want,” Rosita explains. 

“You draw?” Waverly asks. “Is there  _ anything  _ you can’t do? Biochemistry… Engineering… Astrology… Bartending… Drawing…”  _ Kissing…  _ Waverly thinks as she looks to her lips for a split moment. 

Those lips part to reveal a breathtaking, beaming smile. “Woodworking… Sports… Not the best at writing poems…”

Waverly giggles. “Have you ever really  _ tried  _ to write a poem?” 

Rosita narrows her eyes and turns her head back to look at the ceiling. “I guess not… Never had anything to write a poem about. Maybe that’s why I’m bad at it...” 

“You can’t be bad at something you’ve never tried, silly,” Waverly replies adorably. 

Rosita rolls her eyes playfully and turns quickly onto her front. She props herself up onto her elbows and looks down a bit at Waverly still resting against the pillows. “Are you gonna go get coffee with me or not, Waves?” 

“I don’t have anything to wear…” Waverly says quietly. 

“Sure you do… Do you  _ know  _ how many clothes I have?” Rosita rolls out of bed and pads over to her closet. As she swings the doors open, she pauses and turns back to Waverly. “Unless you really just don’t want to grab coffee. That’s totally cool, Waves. My bad… I can take a hint,  _ duh.” _

Waverly blinks rapidly, shaking her head. “What?! What hint? There was no hint! Yes, I want to go get coffee with you!” Waverly jumps out of bed and walks over to her. “Just didn’t want to go wearing club clothes!” 

Rosita nods and turns back to look at her clothes. “Pants or skirt?” 

“Hmm… Pants.” 

Rosita thumbs through that side of her closet until she finds the first ones that come to mind. She holds them out for Waverly with questioning eyebrows. Waverly looks them over and nods. Rosita hands them to her. 

“Do you see a top that you want to wear?” Rosita asks, leaning a bit out of the way. 

Waverly shakes her head. “You pick!” She wants to see what Rosita will pick for her. 

Rosita reaches for a white sweater and holds it out for Waverly to inspect. Waverly nods, her eyes shining at the prospect of wearing Rosita’s clothes. Rosita hands that over and then crouches down to retrieve a pair of side-zip, chunky-heeled boots similar to ones that Rosita’s seen Waverly wear a few times. 

“And you can wear my jacket from last night again. You’re going to look so damn good,” Rosita states casually, going back to her closet to pick out an outfit for herself. 

Waverly blushes at the compliment. It’s not like the outfit is some revolutionary one-eighty from what she would normally wear, but the fact that it’s Rosita’s… And that Rosita thinks she’s going to look good. It adds pressure. She has to see herself in it before Rosita does. Plus, she’s scared to change in front of Rosita and make things weird. 

_ She’s seen you in your bathing suit that covers basically nothing.  _ Waverly shakes her head free of that thought. She has to perfect it before Rosie sees her.

“I’m gonna go get changed in the bathroom and rub toothpaste on my teeth…” Waverly announces. “Is that cool?” 

“For sure, Waves. There might be a spare toothbrush in the drawer. I buy those bamboo ones that come in packs! Feel free to take one.” 

Waverly nods wordlessly and excuses herself to the bathroom to catch her breath. Already, the morning had been a whirlwind. She runs through the events. 

Rosita’s sex dream about her… Yeah, okay. Cuddling until Rosita rolled away… Feeling like she would rather die than get out of bed with Rosita… Learning Rosita draws…  _ God, she’s so sexy. _ Rosita asking her out for coffee…  _ Well not asking you out. Not like that.  _ Now, Waverly’s about to put on Rosita’s clothes and she can’t help the bile rising in her throat. 

She finds the extra toothbrush and brushes her teeth thoroughly. She dresses herself next and Rosita’s  _ right.  _ Waverly feels  _ hot _ in this--both ways. The heat rises to her cheeks again, but she has the confidence she looks just as well. She ties her hair into a loose ponytail and fixes her bangs. After a night out and sleeping over, it will do. 

Rosita is fixing her hair at the mirror in her bedroom when Waverly walks in, throwing the denim jacket she’d retrieved from the living room over her outfit. Waverly takes note of Rosita’s outfit. Dark denim skinny jeans cling to her in just the right way, showing off every curve. Pink loafers are in place on her feet, but the thing that takes Waverly’s breath away is her top. She’s wearing a black sleeveless turtleneck. Once again, the muscles in her arms almost make Waverly start to drool as she runs her fingers through her hair to give it body. 

Brown eyes catch the sight of Waverly staring at her from behind. “Oh shit…” Rosita comments. She turns to get a better look at Waverly. “I was so right… Well, sort of. You look even better than I thought. Not sure how you pulled that one off.” 

Waverly ducks her head. Her nose crinkles as her lips roll in and pull to the side. “Well, thank you… You… put me to shame, though.” 

“Oh, please!” Rosita waves a hand dismissively. She walks over to the bed to grab the long black pea coat that comes down just past her knee. “The black is tricking you into thinking that. Whatever… We look good together… Those hipsters’ll never know what hit ‘em. Let me go brush my teeth and we’ll get going.” 

***

They pull up to the coffee shop in Rosita’s too-sexy-for-this-place car. Waverly has never felt more powerful than she feels in this moment. She’s got this sexy woman beside her in this sexy car and she looks pretty sexy herself. If only this could be a real, romantic date. 

Waverly walks in ahead of Rosita who’s opened the door for her and the comforting aroma of coffee makes Waverly’s eyes close. 

“So, what am I getting you?” Rosita asks once they’re in line. “Soy? Almond?”

“Hazelnut latte with almond milk, extra foam, no whip, and an extra shot of espresso,” Waverly responds without hesitation. 

Rosita chuckles with amusement. “Got it… Go grab a table.” 

“Are you sure? I was gonna pay--” 

“Waves, it’s on me. Post-breakup cheering up means nothing if you’re paying for it.” 

“Okay… Thank you…”

“Go. Grab. A. Table,” Rosita says slowly, still smiling. 

“Yes ma’am…” Waverly responds lowly and obliges. 

Waverly scrolls on her phone while she waits for Rosita to come to the table. She wonders if Wynonna’s awake yet. Generally, Sundays are slow for them… When she sees her inbox is empty, she knows the woman must still be sleeping. 

As if the thought of her merely summoned her, Waverly’s phone buzzes with a message from her. 

**Wyn:** _ Hey baby girl, you home yet?  _

Waverly’s eyebrows pull together.  _ Wouldn’t Wynonna know if she was at home? Huh… Maybe she’s just lazing in bed and doesn’t want to go check… Maybe she’s working.  _ There are a million reasons that Wynonna could be texting that. 

**Waves:** _ Nope. Out getting coffee. I should be home in a couple hours, though. Everything okay? _

**Wyn:** _ Yep. Just checking on my baby sis. Have fun at the club last night?  _

**Waves:** _ Yeah! Robin and Jer were great.  _

**Wyn:** _ And your friend you left with?  _

**Waves:** _ Here at the coffee shop with me now. All good  _

**Wyn:** _ Okay, Waves. See you in a few hours. I love you. _

**Waves:** _ I love you too Nonna.  _

Rosita walks up right as she sends the last message and sets her cup down in front of her. “Everything cool?” 

“Peachy!” Waverly says cheerfully. “Wyn just checking in. Nothing crazy happening at the moment.” 

“This is getting suspicious…” Rosita says playfully, sitting in her seat across from Waverly. 

“What?! What’s getting suspicious? You think Wynonna knows?!” 

Shaking her head, Rosita laughs brightly and reaches for Waverly’s hand. “No. I mean all this time I’ve gotten with you uninterrupted… Almost a week of not getting to even text you a bunch and now I’ve spent all night and I’m getting the morning with you, too?”

Waverly flips her hand over and takes Rosita’s in hers. How do they always end up with joined hands? “Hey! Stop! Don’t even question it one more time! Do  _ not  _ jinx this! What are you? Cuckoo bananas?” 

“You’re right, you’re right. My apologies…” Rosita teases. “You feeling better today?” 

Waverly takes a moment to consider, sipping her hot beverage. Their hands drift naturally apart from one another. Her eyes roll back in her head exaggeratedly at the deliciousness of it. “This is the  _ best  _ coffee! How do you find these places in the Ghost River Triangle?” 

“You gotta leave Purgatory every once in a while, Waves… Now answer the question.”

“Oh! Sorry… I’m feeling… Really nice, actually. Last night… It was perfect. Exactly what I needed after a week of non-stop pain and misery. I feel like I should feel worse, though, so then I start feeling  _ worse _ but only because I feel bad for not feeling bad. I’m still sad about everything, but I’m not… I don’t feel lost and hopeless like I thought I would. I’m just glad that Nicole still wants to be friends and mostly that she’s still friends with Wynonna.” She rambles on until she has to take a deep breath. That’s when she realizes she basically word-vomited all over Rosita. “Sorry…”

Rosita shakes her head, sipping her peppermint white mocha. “When I ask you a question, I want you to answer. Ya don’t have to say sorry… I know what you mean, though. That’s basically how I feel after every break up. Unless the person is just a dickhead, then I’m mostly annoyed or angry… But your feelings are your feelings--whatever they are. Besides… you said it was mutual. I don’t think Nicole wants you moping around like a sad, pitiful puppy.” 

“You’re right… You’re right. Agh! I hate this! It’s all so stupid!” 

“We can talk about something else… Like… When are you going to run off and see the ocean now that you know you can leave the Triangle?” Rosita offers. 

Waverly tilts her head. “Well… I hadn’t really thought about it. Probably not until the curse is broken--” She realizes a second too late what that means for Rosita. She winces. “Oh shoot…” 

“I’m not going to crumble to pieces every time you mention the curse, Waves… That’s probably best, I guess. You don’t want to leave Wynonna alone to deal with all of us.” 

“Us? Rosie, you’re not like  _ them, _ ” Waverly insists. 

“You know that doesn’t matter… C’mon, we’re supposed to be talking about good stuff...” 

“No. I’m not gonna close my ears and lalala this away… I’m going to find a way… I’m not-- I’m not losing anyone else, damn it!” 

“Waverly, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean--”

“God, I’m such a mess. All I do is dump problem after problem and baggage after baggage on you. Is it not exhausting?”

“Never. Do me a favor for just a little while? Let’s pretend… This curse isn’t a thing. Your sister doesn’t want to hunt me down… And we’re just two friends… Catching up over coffee… And learning things we never even knew…” 

“Okay…” Waverly acquiesces. 

***

Wynonna shoves her phone back in her pocket and sighs. 

“Waves okay?” 

Wynonna puts on a smile and nods. “All good. She went out with Jeremy and his new boyfriend-type thing or whatever.” 

Nicole finishes up with breakfast and brings a plate over to Wynonna. “Need to run?”

“Nah, she’s not home, either. I got a few hours.”

“Oh, okay good,” Nicole says relieved. The last thing she wants is Waverly to feel like Wynonna’s choosing  _ her  _ over Waverly. The thought is absurd, but Nicole can’t help but think it. Wynonna’s her best friend in the world but she’d never do anything to get between those two. 

“Besides, CJ’s going to go into a deep pit of depression when I’m not here for her, so lets delay that as long as we can… Poor mongrel.” Wynonna comments, nodding down the cat lying peacefully across her lap as she eats. 

Nicole laughs. Getting through all of this without this smartass woman would  _ suck.  _

***

Wynonna walks up to the police station hours later to check in with Nedley and make sure nothing is afoot today before she heads back to the homestead, hopefully before Waverly gets home. 

Chrissy Nedley walks out right as she’s about to walk in and Wynonna curses under her breath. Waverly’s probably home if Chrissy’s here. 

“‘Sup lil Nedley?” Wynonna greets casually. “You and Waves have fun last night?” 

The tall, blonde woman’s face twists in confusion. “What? Me and Waves?” 

Wynonna narrows her eyes suspciously. “Yeah… You and Waves… She said she stayed with a friend, just figured she didn’t have many of those that she’d have sleepovers with…”

“Well, it wasn’t me. I haven’t seen Waverly… in…  _ months.  _ I know you guys are busy… Doing what you do…” 

_ Months?  _ The thought strikes Wynonna. About a week ago, Waverly had texted she was  _ out with Chrissy.  _ “Oh! My bad!”

“No problem, Wynonna. Good to see you! See ya later. Got places to be!” 

Wynonna watches as Chrissy Nedley walks away. A week ago, Waverly and Nicole had still been together… Why had Waverly lied? The worst thought creeps into her mind and she feels her blood begin to boil at the thought of what that means for Nicole… 

“Waves, you little shit, I swear to God…” 

***

Rosita feels a deep ache settle in her bones as they walk back to the car. Knowing that she has to be away from Waverly for however long after spending all night and morning with her is hard. Somehow, she knew this would happen. That she’d find herself aching for Waverly Earp all over again even though she’d never really stopped in the first place. 

Rosita opens the passenger side door again and Waverly wonders if she’ll feel butterflies every single time.  _ It’s silly, _ she reminds herself,  _ and it’s not like nobody has ever opened a door for you before.  _

The truth of that thought makes her feel a little guilty. Nicole always opened the door for her, every single time they got in the car together. It’d been charming and something she appreciated, but it never felt like  _ this.  _

Rosita climbs into the driver’s seat and puts her sunglasses on. It’s not even that sunny, but if someone who knows her manages to see past the deeply tinted windows, she doesn’t want to be easily recognizable. 

She looks over to Waverly who is sitting there picking at her nail polish and chewing on her bottom lip. 

Waverly looks up almost as soon as Rosita looks over. Waverly can’t see Rosita’s dark eyes but the small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth is enough to make Waverly smile, too. 

“What? What’re you thinking about?” Rosita asks, forcing herself to turn away and look at the road. 

It’s harder than she wants it to be to focus on anything else when Waverly is near her. Her fingers burn from wanting to reach out for the younger woman’s hand. Rosita presses them into her own thigh and rubs harshly instead. 

“I just… we’re having so much fun. Just us. It feels normal, and good like – nothing bad is happening.” Waverly says it like she’s confused. 

It makes Rosie laugh, her eyebrows pulling together and pushing upward. “And that’s bad?” 

“No! God, no it’s not  _ bad _ it’s just… it feels like – I  _ should _ feel bad that I can feel like that. Pretend like nothing bad is happening. Even if it’s just for a little while.” Her voice is softer as she tries to make sense of what she’s feeling. 

“Well, you should never feel bad for being happy, Waverly. And you’re not  _ always _ pretending like nothing bad is happening, are you?” 

“No, I guess not…” 

“Okay then. Don’t worry. I’m taking you back to the middle of the badness right now, anyway. Even if I really don’t want to.” Rosita sighs, feeling the dull, gnawing worry creeping back into the pit of her stomach. 

Waverly rolls her lips together and looks up at Rosita for just a moment. She knows that if she lets herself look for any longer, it’ll become obvious that she’s staring. And she could stare all day. Instead, she reaches out and turns up the radio.

It’s still on the station that plays only older music and Waverly figures that’s probably where it stays most of the time. The song that’s playing when she turns up the volume finishes and a couple of commercials play before an Elvis song starts to play. 

“What’s this one, Rosie?” Waverly asks, not recognizing it as one of the ones Rosita had played for her before. 

Rosita smiles wide and taps her fingers against the steering wheel. She spares a glance towards Waverly as she says, “ _ Ain’t That Loving You Baby…  _ from 1968.” 

Rosita swoons at the way Waverly looks wearing her clothes with her head leaned back against the seat. Waverly swoons just the same at the way Rosita’s voice sounds saying the title of the song. 

“Did you ever get to see Elvis in person?” 

“Are you kidding me? I saw him every chance I got. The first time was in 1957 and the last time was… I think ‘75? I got into twelve shows in those 18 years… ” Rosie grins, remembering. 

“Twelve?! Twelve times?!” 

“Are you shocked that Elvis got near this place twelve times or that I managed to get in? ‘Cause I just… snuck into a lot of them.” 

“Definitely more shocked by the first one.” 

“Me too. Honestly, I think someone made some demonic deal or cast some sort of spell.” 

Waverly considers it for a moment and it’s honestly not the most unrealistic thing she’s ever heard in regards to the Ghost River Triangle. She shrugs, pushing her lips out. “Makes sense.” 

Another moment passes and she listens to the song a little, but most of all she tries to imagine Rosita experiencing it in person and how happy she must have been. 

Rosita tries to imagine how it would’ve felt to see Elvis with Waverly and feels a twinge of sadness in her heart knowing that she’d never get to. 

“I heard that girls, and I guess even some guys, were pretty fanatical about him back then. Were you one of them?” 

“I was so in love with him, Waves, but I never did any of the crazy shit some people did, no.” Rosita laughs, shaking her head slightly. “I cried every single time I ever saw him. And I cried even more when he died.” 

Waverly picks up on the sadness in Rosita’s voice and reaches out for her hand without thinking. 

“That must’ve all been so amazing and so heartbreaking. I wish –” Waverly sighs, not finishing her sentence. She focuses on Rosita’s soft red nail polish instead. 

“You wish what?” 

“Just that – well, that I could’ve been there, I guess. We would’ve had fun, just like we do now.” Waverly smiles up at her, but her heart is pounding. 

Rosita smiles back, nodding slowly. “Yeah, I bet we would’ve.” The words come out drenched with longing. 

Before they know it, Rosita is pulling up outside of Shorty’s. She parks in a space across the street, not wanting to be too obvious. Purgatory is small, but Rosita thinks that people probably mind their business for the most part. At least, enough not to wonder why Waverly Earp is getting out of an old black car at noon on a Sunday. 

Rosita turns the music down and sighs, turning a little in her seat so that she’s facing Waverly. She wishes she could hug her goodbye, but she knows hopping out of the car this close to Shorty’s isn’t a great idea. 

It’s risky enough that she pushes her sunglasses up onto her head, wanting to see Waverly clearly before she leaves. 

Waverly makes sure her phone is in her pocket and grabs her bag from the floor, settling it around her. She turns to look at Rosita and joy and contentment in her eyes fades to a subtle sadness. 

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you a ride home.” Rosita says sadly, even as she tries to keep smiling. 

Waverly brushes her thumb across the back of Rosita’s hand and sighs, shaking her head softly. It’s not fair, it’ll never be fair that Rosie has to live like this. 

“Don’t be sorry, okay? It’s not your fault. And it’s no big deal.” Waverly promises. 

Rosita nods, feeling slightly at ease from Waverly’s words. 

“I promise to keep you in the loop more. Text more and stuff. I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back but -” 

“Waves… relax, okay? Don’t – stress yourself out more by trying to organize everything, right down to your visits with me. You just stay safe and I’ll be right there, whenever you wanna come by. No planning required.” Rosita smiles sweetly, brushing her thumb against Waverly’s hand comfortingly. 

Waverly smiles at her and nods. She pauses for a moment before she gets out, still clinging to her hand. “Thank you, Rosie. For everything.” Waverly says sincerely. 

There’s a moment where they’re just looking at one another that feels way too much like last night when the song had ended and Waverly found herself looking at Rosita’s lips. She licks her own and sighs softly, pulling her hand from Rosita’s and missing her warmth immediately. 

“I’ll text you when I’m home.” Waverly promises. 

“Thank you. Be careful, Waves.”    


“You too, Rosie.” Waverly finally steps out and closes the door gently behind her, fighting the urge to turn back and look as she walks across the road to the bar. 

She caves once she’s got her hand on the door and looks back over her shoulder. Only then does Rosita drive away. 

*** 

Doc is standing behind the bar polishing some glasses when Waverly walks in. For that, she’s eternally grateful. He would almost surely do whatever she needs and not ask too many questions in the process. 

He doesn’t even look up until she’s standing right in front of him and he sees her hands rest flat against the wood. 

“Waverly? To what do I owe the pleasure?” Doc drawls, flipping the cloth over his shoulder and leaning against the bar. 

Waverly rolls her eyes playfully, leaning across the bar towards him some more. “I need a favor.” 

“Anything you may need, I will do my best to provide, little darlin’, you know this.” 

“I do… could you give me a ride home?” 

Doc looks confused for a moment and Waverly raises her eyebrows. 

“What?” 

“That seems a simple request. Somethin’ wrong with your car?” 

“Did you think I was gonna ask you to help me hide a body or something? And no… it’s just at home.” 

“That would not surprise me. And if your car is at the homestead, how did you get here?” 

“Oh – I – stayed with my friend last night and they just dropped me off. Didn’t wanna bother them with driving all the way out there.” Waverly laughs a little nervously. 

She worries for a second that maybe she was wrong about him asking questions and after all, lying isn’t exactly her forte. 

“I see… well, as you can tell we’re not terribly busy so I can surely do that.” 

“You’re the best, Henry.” Waverly practically squeals, pushing herself up with her hands to lean even more and press a kiss to his cheek. 

*** 

When the two of them are inside the car, a familiar smell finally makes its way to Doc. His eyebrows pull together and he inhales through his nose long and deep, trying his best to not only confirm it, but find the source. 

It becomes abundantly clear that the scent is wafting off of Waverly. 

“What’s the matter?” She asks, settling with her elbow against the door. 

“Nothin’... just smells different with you in here.” 

“I’ve been in here before.” 

“I know, that’s why I’m curious.” 

Waverly stiffens, the realization finally hitting her.  _ Oh god. _ Rosita’s smell is so strong and so particular. Of course, if she remembers it from the time they’d spent together before, a man who had dated her and been in _ much _ more intimate situations with her would probably remember it, too. 

Waverly tries to push aside the jealousy she feels at that particular fact and makes up a quick lie. 

“I dunno… I got new perfume? Maybe that’s it?” She asks, shrugging and looking ahead out the windshield. 

“Huh… I guess so, then.” It seems to make enough sense to him and even if it doesn’t, he doesn’t ask anymore questions about it all the way home. 

He tells Waverly about a show he’d watched on the craft channel the other night instead. 

*** 

Doc doesn’t bother coming into the house when he gets there. There isn’t anything he can think of that he needs to say to Wynonna and he needs to get back to the bar anyway. At least, that’s what he tells Waverly. 

She sighs in disappointment and sees him off, thanking him for the ride. When she’d noticed the old blue truck in the yard she hoped he’d accompany her to maybe ward off some of Wynonna’s inevitable questioning but alas. 

Waverly comes in the back door with a hand shoved deep inside the pocket of Rosita’s jean jacket. Wynonna is sitting at the kitchen table with her arms crossed over her chest, her feet propped up in a different chair. A bottle of whiskey sits on the table in front of her. 

“Wyn, it’s noon you shouldn’t –” 

“Good morning to you, too, Sis. The bottle’s not open, I just picked it up.” 

Waverly nods, sighing with a bit of relief. 

When Wynonna finally  _ really  _ looks at her she squints her eyes a bit. Waverly can feel them moving over every inch of her and she starts to sweat. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” 

“Where’d you get that outfit?” Waverly feels herself freeze again. The only thing that was harder for her than just lying was lying  _ to _ Wynonna. 

“I’ve had it?” 

“Do you ever wear it?” 

“I’m wearing it now? Why are you being so weird?” 

“Whatever, it’s cute.” 

Waverly feels some relief wash over her and she raises her eyebrows from the bit of surprise. She looks down at the outfit with a soft smile and shoves both hands into the jacket pockets. 

“Oh –- thanks.” 

“So, who’d you spend the night with?” 

Waverly doesn’t miss a beat. “Chrissy. She was there, we weren’t really feeling the whole club thing so we just went back to her house and watched a movie and went to sleep.” She shrugs, trying to sound as neutral as possible. 

Chrissy had been her excuse all along, and it had never been questioned. Nothing makes her feel like it will this time either until Wynonna starts to laugh. There’s no humor in the sound and it only makes Waverly’s nervousness increase. 

“What’s so funny?” Waverly asks tentatively, feeling her palms start to sweat inside the pockets. 

“What’s so funny? Oh, nothing just –– just that I ran into Chrissy today. At the station.” Wynonna’s jaw tightens and the show she’d been putting on fades. 

Waverly looks back at her sister with glossy eyes, biting her cheek to try and keep herself from crying. She’s busted. Wynonna is pissed and obviously knows that she’s been lying to her.  _ Fuck.  _

The younger woman crosses her arms over her chest, too. Swallowing hard and trying to push down her emotions. “So what?” 

Wynonna’s boots make a loud sound against the old floorboards as she stands up and moves closer to Waverly in a second. 

“So  _ what?! _ Waverly, are you kidding, you fucking lied to me! You’ve been lying to me! Chrissy said she hasn’t seen you in months!” Wynonna pushes against Waverly’s shoulder a bit harder than she probably should’ve. 

“Ow! Don’t do that!” Waverly whines, grabbing at her shoulder and steadying herself, huffing and looking up at Wynonna with hot tears in her eyes. “Like I said, so  _ what?!  _ Why’s it any of your business anyway?”

“It’s my business because for one thing you’re my baby sister and for another there’s a really fucking ugly demon out there that killed one of our friends and is always coming after us! Or did you forget about that when you were out partying and screwing around?!” Wynonna raises her voice. 

“It’s not like you guys even notice or care when I’m not here! You didn’t even text me back when I was out last night, so why the hell do you care so much now?!” Waverly yells back, getting up in Wynonna’s face, even with tears running down her cheeks. 

“Why are _ you  _ getting so upset, huh? What? Were you cheating on Nicole...  _ again _ ?!” 

The question stops Waverly completely. It feels like a knife in her chest. She can feel the anger radiating off of her older sister like heat and her bottom lip starts to tremble. 

“W-what?” 

“You heard me.” Wynonna doesn’t back down. “Answer the question, Waverly. When you were still together you were doing this shit… sneaking away and lying that it was with Chrissy. So,  _ were. you. cheating. on. her _ ?” Wynonna punctuates each word with a jab to Waverly’s chest, backing her up until she hits the wall. 

“Get  _ off _ me! Why the hell would you even ask me that?!” Waverly sobs, pushing her big sister back and out of her space. “God, what is it?! Why can’t I ever do  _ anything _ right?” Her chest is heaving and she can’t remember the last time she felt this angry or upset. 

“ _ Waverly _ …” 

“No! Don’t do that.” 

“If that’s not it… ” Wynonna takes a few deep breaths, “If you didn’t… then why didn’t you just tell me the truth?”

“Because I can’t! I can’t tell you. I can’t tell  _ anybody _ .” Waverly cries, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. 

The reaction catches Wynonna off guard and she crosses her arms back over her chest again, swallowing the lump in her own throat. The older woman feels guilt wash over her as she watches Waverly cry, but the hurt of Waverly not trusting her and thinking that she’d hurt Nicole is still present. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Exactly what I said! I can’t tell you. And I don’t have to tell you everything. It’s not like you tell me everything, is it?” 

Great. Just  _ great.  _ Wynonna bites her jaw and looks away, shaking her head. She knows what’s coming. 

“Waverly, that’s not the same –” 

“How do you know? You don’t! You didn’t tell me about mama for  _ years! _ And I keep one secret from you and you – you accuse me of hurting Nicole on  _ purpose _ ?” 

Waverly’s lip quivers and she throws her hands up. She can hear her pulse in her ears and it feels like she’s on fire and the residual calm and happiness from being with Rosita all night and morning just burns away in it. 

“What’s so important that you can’t tell me? Now… after everything, after – after all we’ve been through. I told you I wouldn’t keep secrets from you anymore.” Wynonna sounds calmer, but Waverly can’t tell if it’s real or just a scheme to get her to break. 

“Wynonna, I –– I just can’t. You can push me, or say mean things to me all you want to, okay? But I made a promise and I’m not gonna break it. I can’t and I  _ won’t. _ ” She squeaks, dropping her face to her hands. Her small shoulders shake with her sobs and before she knows it, Wynonna’s arms are around her. 

“Baby girl…” Wynonna sighs, holding Waverly tight. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have snapped like that.”

Waverly can’t say anything, she just cries into Wynonna’s shoulder, her arms hanging limply by her sides. Wynonna just hugs her for as long as she lets her. 

A few moments into the embrace, Wynonna’s chin drops to Waverly’s shoulder and she breathes in. The smell that lingers on the clothes Waverly wears is one that she knows, even if she can’t place it right away. 

She narrows her eyes, trying to think but Waverly’s voice interrupts, “I never – I never wanted to hurt N-Nicole.” Waverly manages to choke the words out after a moment. 

Wynonna pulls back, her chest aching.  _ She knows that _ . Even in her anger, even when Waverly had been mean or done something fucked up – to her or to Nicole – Wynonna always knew that Waverly didn’t want to hurt anyone. That she was  _ trying. _

“I know. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” Wynonna admits, stepping back a little with her hands still resting on Waverly’s shoulders. 

Waverly looks up at Wynonna with red puffy eyes and nods. She reaches up to wipe her nose again and exhales. “I wanna go upstairs. I just – wanna be by myself.” 

Wynonna nods, clenching her jaw and letting her hands fall away from her sister. Waverly turns towards the stairs and the moment her foot lands on the first one Wynonna speaks up. 

“Whatever it is… whatever you’re doing… just promise me that you’re safe? I don’t want you to get hurt when I have no idea where to look or –” 

“I’m fine, Wynonna. I’m safe. I’m here. I’ll see you later.” Waverly says tiredly, dragging herself up the stairs. 

*** 

When Waverly gets to her room, she doesn’t even bother kicking off her shoes or taking off the denim jacket before flopping onto her bed and crying more. 

She cries until the tears just won’t come anymore and by then, her eyes feel so heavy that she can’t keep them open. 

Waverly wakes up an hour or two later curled up against a tearstained pillow. Her first thought after rubbing her swollen eyes and sitting up groggily is Rosita. 

“ _ Shit. _ ” She hisses the word, reaching into her pocket to pull out her phone in a haste. 

There are four unread messages from Rosita. 

**Rosita:** _ I came back to the coffee shop to draw for a bit. _

**R:** _ You okay? Find someone to take you home? _

**R:** _ Waves? _

**R:** _ I’m sure you’re fine and you just got busy. At least I hope. Just let me know you’re okay soon? _

Waverly feels completely torn apart all over again. She’d promised Rosie before leaving her that she’d do better with this, even though Rosita hadn’t asked her to. 

Waverly had told Rosita that she would let her know that she got home safe and she couldn’t even remember to do that. She types out a string of messages quickly. 

**Waverly:** _Rosie I’m so sorry I fell asleep_

**W:** _Yes, Doc brought me home._

**W:** _I’m really sorry._

**W:** _Wynonna and I had a fight and I just felt exhausted after._

Waverly doesn’t have to wait very long to make sure Rosie isn’t mad at her, she texts back almost immediately. 

**Rosita:** _Thank god._

**R:** _Well, not about the fight. That sucks, Waves. I’m so sorry._

**R:** _I’m just glad you’re safe. You wanna talk about the fight?_

The kindness in Rosita’s messages almost makes her want to start crying again. If her body didn’t feel so empty and dehydrated she’s sure she might.  _ You don’t deserve her and you never will, _ she tells herself. 

Waverly looks to her door for a moment then back to her phone. She gets up and goes to lock the door before going back to bed, slipping out of the jacket and the boots this time. 

Sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed, she types out another message. 

**Waverly:** _Can I call you? Too much to type._

**Rosita:** _ Of course. _

Waverly breathes out a heavy sigh of relief and relaxes back against her many pillows, clutching one of them to her chest. She calls Rosita and the older woman answers after two rings. 

“About what I said earlier… with the problems and the baggage?” Waverly sighs. 

“Before you ask, No. I’m not sick of it. Or you.” Rosita answers easily. 

Her smooth voice immediately soothes Waverly’s whole body. 

“Okay, then… Forget I said anything.” 

Waverly hears Rosita laugh on the other end of the line and the sound manages to make her smile a little. 

“Will do. I’ll never get tired of you, Waverly. You can tell me anything.” Rosita promises. 

The words make Waverly’s heart do back flips. 

“Now, tell me about your fight with your big, mean sister.” 


	6. blue, thinking about you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole asks for Wynonna's help. Waverly asks Rosita if she can tell someone about her being back. Rosita's excited to get a surprise visit.

Waverly wakes up the next morning to the sound of movement downstairs. It sounds like Wynonna in the kitchen, she figures. The younger Earp grumbles, stretching her arms above her head. 

She’d gotten used to sleeping alone again pretty quick after Nicole. When they were together, she rarely woke up in the morning with Nicole’s arms still around her or her own around Nicole. Waverly thinks that waking up like she had the morning before might have ruined her for good. 

Sleeping in Rosita’s bed, in her arms, had been the best, most restful sleep she’s probably ever had. Even though they’d talked on the phone until she fell asleep last night, it doesn’t really compare. 

Waverly reaches for her phone then, sighing deeply as she finally blinks the sleep from her eyes. It says that the call ended at 4:52AM. She wonders for a moment what time she’d fallen asleep and how much time had passed between then and when Rosie finally decided to hang up. 

There’s a text message from Rosita waiting for her and it makes her smile before she even opens it. When she does, it reads: 

**Rosita:** _Hey Waves, I hung up a little while after you fell asleep. Once I started falling asleep, too. I really enjoyed the morning with you and getting to talk to you for so long. You seemed like you were sleeping pretty well, cute snoring and everything. ;) Goodnight Waverly_

Waverly reads the message over and over again, focusing maybe a little too much on the fact that Rosita had stayed on the phone with her even after she’d fallen asleep. That she’d listened to her snoring and found it  _ cute. _

The younger woman feels warmth in her cheeks and hides her grin in the edge of her fluffy pink blanket. She revels in the message for a few more moments as she tries to gather what to send back. 

Finally, Waverly types out a message of her own. 

**Waverly:** _Goodmorning Rosie! <3 It’s really sweet of you to stay on the phone for that long, letting me talk until I fell asleep and everything. I’m gonna pretend like I don’t know you heard me snoring lol   
_**W:** _and I slept okay, much better the night before though ;)_ _  
_**W:** _I don't know what all we have to do today, but I should be able to at least text you! Have a good day, Rosie <3 _

Waverly sighs, reading over the messages again after they’re sent and trying not to feel like a complete fool for the emotions that course through her at the thought of the older woman. 

She finally pushes herself out of bed and goes to take a shower. As the water runs over her, she lets her mind wander to yesterday. The memory that sticks the most is waking up with Rosita moaning against her ear, holding her tight. 

Waverly’s eyes shut and her eyebrow raises as she starts to imagine all the possible things the woman could’ve been dreaming about. It doesn’t take much for her mind to come up with visions of its own. 

She lets the images and the water wash over her until it runs cold and pulls her from her fantasy. As she’s drying her hair, she starts to wonder if she should feel guilty for thinking about Rosita like that. 

_No, she shouldn’t._ Rosie hadn’t seemed ashamed or guilty for the dream she’d been having, even if she didn’t exactly admit to having it. She actually seemed… happy and content when she woke up from it. Like she’d enjoyed it. Waverly shivers at the thought, biting her lip to fight her smile. 

When the younger woman finally gets dressed and goes downstairs, Wynonna seems to be struggling near the stove. Waverly leans against the counter and raises her eyebrows. 

“Oh! Hey, sis... Right on time. Don’t worry, it’s almost done.” Wynonna says, poking her tongue out the side of her mouth as she flips what she’s making with a spatula. 

“What’s  _ ‘it’ _ ?” 

“Breakfast!” Wynonna smiles, taking the sandwich from the skillet and placing it on the nearby plate. She dusts her hands off on her jeans and grabs the plate and Waverly’s favorite mug, bringing it over to where Waverly is leaning. 

Waverly can see now that it’s a grilled cheese sandwich and her favorite tea, made to the best of Wynonna’s ability. Her heart melts a little bit at her sister’s act of kindness. 

“The cheese is the vegan kind--don’t worry! I remembered,” Wynonna assures, looking at her sister with hopeful eyes and a gentle smirk. 

Waverly smiles softly, nodding as she picks up her mug. “And my tea. Thank you, ‘Nonna, you didn’t have to.” Waverly starts, her voice soft. She thinks if she speaks any louder it might break. 

“I know, I just wanted to.” Wynonna shrugs. 

Neither of them are quite ready to put what happened yesterday behind them fully. Wynonna still wants answers, even if she knows she shouldn’t keep prodding. Waverly still hates the things Wynonna said to her and hates the way she wants to cry every time she thinks about it. 

But this is a good step, Waverly thinks. This is nice of Wynonna. 

Waverly sips the tea and fights the urge to laugh a little. It’s – not exactly the way she makes it, but she can tell that Wynonna had done her best. Same with the grilled cheese. It’s a little burnt, but Wynonna tried. Wynonna always tries. So she’ll eat it anyway, no matter what. 

“I’m going over to Nicole’s later today, she doesn’t have to work and wanted my help with something.” Wynonna shrugs, taking a bite of the sandwich she’d made for herself. 

Waverly nods slowly as she chews, narrowing her eyes a bit at her older sister. Since the breakup, Nicole and Wynonna’s growing closeness is incredibly obvious to Waverly. 

They were close before, the best of friends. If Nicole wasn’t at work or doing whatever with Waverly, there was no doubt that you could find her with the Heir. Now it’s just increased. 

Waverly feels grateful, though. Happy that Nicole has Wynonna to go to. Happy that Wynonna has Nicole. 

“Does that mean we don’t have to work… like evil gets a day off or something?” 

“Well, no. Bulshar is still dicking around out there somewhere. Plotting  _ whatever _ … it’s not a day off, really. Just a day to lay low and hope nothing creepy happens for once.” 

Wynonna hates not knowing where the demon is, hates that she hasn’t been able to send his creepy ass back to hell yet. They’re all doing their best, though and they can’t fight all the time. They just  _ can’t _ . 

“I’ll probably go hang out with Jeremy at the office, then. See what we can find out.” Waverly nods. 

Wynonna returns the nod before gesturing to the sandwich Waverly is finishing. “Is it good?” 

“Oh… Yeah! Yeah, it’s good, thank you again.” Waverly’s voice is soft but sincere. 

“I don’t really know how to cook a lot of things super well, ‘specially not vegan stuff. Grilled cheese is probably my best bet. So…” Her face reddens a bit. 

“It’s good, ‘Nonna. I promise.” Waverly smiles genuinely for the first time. 

The reaction makes Wynonna take a deep breath and settle a bit. 

Waverly finishes up and washes the dishes for Wynonna before she goes to leave. 

“Be careful out there.” Wynonna says to her before she can walk out the door.  Waverly tenses a bit, feeling a rush of yesterday’s argument come back to her. She takes a breath and tries to push it away. “I will. You too. I love you.” Waverly sighs, barely hearing the three words get returned before she shuts the door behind her. 

*** 

Waverly spends some time at a desk in the office, a large book open in front of her. The youngest Earp reads passage after passage, jotting down possibly helpful things in her little notebook as she goes. 

The quiet between her and Jeremy is comfortable for the most part. Being friends has always come easy to the two of them. Nothing had changed that and Waverly thinks that nothing probably could. 

Her phone sits on the desk next to her and she keeps looking at it, wondering if she should text Rosie. Waverly chews on the inside of her lip and slides the phone closer. 

**Waverly:** _Wynonna made me breakfast this morning and my favorite tea. Her way of apologizing I guess._

**W:** _ She’s hanging out with Nicole today, she said.  _

**Rosita:** _That’s_ _pretty sweet though! At least she’s sorry._

**R:** _ When is she not hanging out with Nicole? _

**W:** _ Good point for both things. I just don’t know if I’m ready to be over it yet.  _

**R:** _ Well, that’s okay too. You don’t have to be, Waves. However you feel is okay.  _

Waverly sighs, smiling softly at the phone. Rosita always seems to know the best thing to say, the words that she needs to hear to make her feel better, no matter the situation. It makes her feel warm all over. 

**W:** _Thank you, Rosie <3 _

**W:** _Enough about that, though… What are you up to today?_

Waverly tries to go back to her passage and not glance towards her phone too much. The second it buzzes, though, Waverly opens it. 

**Rosita:** _ Just relaxing at home today. Possibly working on a drawing…  _

Waverly’s interest piques every time Rosita mentions art and creating things to her. It’s so  _ sexy _ that Rosita is so good at so many things. Of course, Waverly has never seen Rosita’s art, but she can just feel how good it must be. 

**W:** _Any chance I’ll get to see it? <3_

**R:** _ There’s a chance, yeah ;)  _

Waverly grins at the message, being able to hear it perfectly in Rosita’s voice only makes it more adorable and sexy. 

“What are you grinning about?” Jeremy’s teasing voice startles Waverly and makes her jump, her hand coming to rest over her chest as she tries to calm herself. 

“Is it...  _ whoever  _ you went home with the other night?” He smirks, looking over his shoulder towards her with a raised brow. “How’d  _ that  _ go by the way?”

Waverly locks her phone and sets it down, sinking back in her chair with a sigh as she turns it to face him. “It is…  _ them _ ,” she admits. That isn’t giving anything away, right? She could say that. 

Jeremy’s eyes light up and he puts down the thing he’s working on to give Waverly his full attention. “Oh my god… do you wanna talk about it? Did anything good happen?” 

Waverly thinks for a moment and she can’t help but smile. She knows that it gives her away, but she can’t help it. Not when it comes to Rosita. How can she not smile? 

“ _ So _ many good things happened, Jer. It was… perfect.” 

“Ooooh! Somebody got laid!” 

“What? No! No  _ somebody _ did not! We didn’t even kiss! We just – had fun. We danced. We - We talked, we watched a movie. We went to sleep. That’s it. It was nice.” Waverly recalls, sighing dreamily at the memories flooding her mind. 

Jeremy seems to melt at the admission of the sleepover being completely innocent. He can pick up on Waverly’s feelings from the way she speaks about the encounter. Waverly’s feelings waft off of her in palpable rays. 

“You really like this person?” He asks, lifting both eyebrows as high as possible. 

The question makes Waverly sweat. Of course, she likes Rosie. She feels ––  _ so much _ for the older woman that she can’t put it into words. It makes her ache all over. 

“I feel like –- yeah, I like them. A lot. I just – don’t know if they feel that way about me. I think they do, or that they could… but I just don’t know what it all is. Does that make sense?” Waverly narrows her eyes, fidgeting with her fingers as she tries to explain it without giving anything away. 

“Way too much sense, Waves. Don’t worry. Been there.” 

_ Oh no you haven’t _ , Waverly thinks. 

“I don’t wanna say too much before I’m sure.” She sighs, giving herself an out. “Besides it’s – really way too soon after… everything.” She taps her fingers against the arm of the chair. 

Jeremy nods, smiling over at his best friend. “Well, you know where I am. Whenever you wanna talk about it more, if you do… I’ll be waiting.” He says sweetly, going back to the notes he was taking before. 

Waverly sighs, turning back around in the chair and facing the desk again. She looks at her phone after a moment. 

**R:** _Everything good, Waves? Said you were typing for a long time._

**W:** _ Oh, I’m sorry! Jeremy started talking to me. Yes, everything is good, Rose.  _

**R:** _ Aw, Jeremy. I miss him so fucking much.  _

Waverly thinks about it for a moment and suddenly it feels like a light goes on. 

She’s careful when she types out her next message to Rosita and hopes that the woman won’t get angry with her. 

**W:** _ I’m sure he misses you too :(  _

**W:** _ What if he could know about you? He wouldn’t tell anyone and it’d be nice to get to see you both together again.  _

She sighs, setting her phone aside again as she gets overwhelmed. What if the question upsets Rosita? Or makes her think Waverly is going to give away her secret? 

It takes a few minutes, but eventually, Rosita responds. 

**R:** _I’m not sure Waves :( I miss him so much and trust him but I’m still scared…_

**R:** _ Let me think about it, okay? I’m gonna go draw for a bit <3 text me if you need me.  _

Waverly sighs, feeling relieved by the message. She doesn’t seem upset. That’s one good thing down. At least it isn’t a full ‘No’. Waverly pulls her lips to the side as she looks back at the message and then over at Jeremy. 

*** 

“You tricked me, Haught. You swindled me.” Wynonna complains, taking another sip of her beer as she watches Nicole string white lights around each layer of her Christmas tree. 

“Oh please! How many times have you roped me into something way worse than this being waaaay less honest with me?” Nicole shoots back. The grin on her lips shows that she’s not bitter about it.

“Dunno what you’re talking about, Tater Haught…” Wynonna lies, raising her eyebrows and shrugging. 

Nicole finishes with the lights and turns to give her best friend a pointed look. “You’re so full of shit, I don’t know how you don’t smell like it all the damn time.” 

“Oh and what  _ do  _ I smell like, then?” 

Nicole seems to soften. Her body slumps and she smiles a little. It makes Wynonna start to tingle. Such a stupid reaction. Wynonna hates that Nicole makes her feel this way almost as much as she hates herself for loving that Nicole makes her feel this way. 

“You smell like flowers… I think gardenias… And honestly, most of the time, you smell a little bit like Jack Daniels…” Nicole says the last part with a bit of cheekiness. 

Wynonna’s breath catches and her mouth parts slightly at the first descriptor. She knows they’d been getting… a little more affectionate lately--longer hugs, more nudges, sitting closer on the couch… Hearing Nicole describe her aroma sort of dreamily, though, Wynonna hadn’t been prepared for. 

Then, of course… “Ha. Ha,” Wynonna says sarcastically, making a mocking expression at her friend. 

“Can you maybe  _ help  _ a little?” Nicole urges with a roll of her eyes. 

“What’s in it for me?” Wynonna continues to resist. 

Nicole throws her head back in exaggerated annoyance--too exaggerated to convey any true agitation. “Happiness? Joy? A damn break for once?” She makes her way over to Wynonna and takes the beer from her hands and holds it high above her head and back away from the brunette. 

“Haught! Hey! You don’t take a woman’s  _ booooze,”  _ Wyonnna whines, moving forward and reaching for the bottle. She’s unable to reach because of Daddy long limbs. 

“I’ve taken your booze plenty of times and I’m still standin’, aren’t I?” 

“By the grace of Me, yeah… But my grace is gonna run out one day!” Wynonna reaches again, but Nicole holds out her free hand to press against Wynonna’s chest and chuckles. 

“It’s cute you think you can intimidate me with that kinda shit… I know you better than that.” 

“Oh shut  _ up _ ! We  _ get  _ it! You  _ know  _ me!” Wynonna draws out the words and rolls her eyes each time. “Gimme back my beer and I’ll  _ consider _ helping you.” 

“Say pleeeeeease,” Nicole teases. 

Wynonna reaches for the hand that is keeping her at arm’s length and moves it out of the way so that she can step right into Nicole’s space and look up at the redhead. “No fuckin’ way.  _ You  _ say please and maybe I’ll help with your decorating!” 

Nicole moves her hand so that she can grab Wynonna’s wrist and regain control of the situation. She holds it tight and the both of them falter when they realize they’re breathing each other’s air. Nicole still holds the beer out of Wynonna’s grasp, but Wynonna is frozen looking deeply into brown eyes. 

“Please…” Nicole murmurs a few moments later, just before she licks her lips. 

Wynonna can’t help but let her eyes fall to watch the motion. The temptation claws desperately through her chest… The temptation that had been there for longer than she would willingly admit to herself or anyone else. The temptation to kiss the redhead’s stupid, annoying mouth. 

She doesn’t give in. Instead, she shoves her friend away and sighs with frustration. All of the frustration is purely based upon her unfulfilled desire, but she hopes Nicole chalks it up to their interaction. “Fine, Red, you win. What do you want me to do?” 

Nicole swallows and stumbles back. She places the beer down on the entertainment center where her television sets. With her back to Wynonna, she takes a few moments to hold her eyes closed and breathe quietly. 

Wynonna barely notices because she utilizes those moments to do the same. 

“Why don’t you grab that box by the stairs and bring the ornaments over?” Nicole suggests, still not looking to Wynonna. 

“Ugh, already with the manual labor,” Wynonna jests, but complies with the request. 

For a few moments, they go about decorating the tree with little comments about how to arrange them. Once they’re in a groove, Wynonna speaks up about last night’s  _ event.  _

“So… Waves has been lying to me.” 

Nicole pulls her eyebrows together in slight confusion. “‘Bout what?” 

“Where she’s been… She keeps telling me she’s hanging out with Chrissy, but I ran into Chrissy yesterday and Chrissy hasn’t seen her in months.” 

Nicole considers the new information for a few seconds. “Huh.” 

Blue eyes narrow in on the redhead. “‘Huh?’ That’s all I get?” 

“Not sure what I’m ‘sposed to say… It’s weird… No doubt. Why do you think she’s lying?” 

“Well,  _ obviously,  _ she’s hanging out with someone she doesn’t want me to know about… And has been for at least weeks now…”

Nicole tilts her head and lets Wynonna’s theory settle there for a few seconds. “Did you ask her about it?” 

The shame of her behavior comes back tenfold as she relives all of the terrible things that had spilled from her mouth when she had been angry and hurt with Waverly’s lies--when she had thought that Waverly might have hurt Nicole again. 

“Kind of.” Wynonna tries to play it off. 

“Kind of? Well, what did she say?” 

Wynonna looks down at her hands fiddling with the next ornament she’d picked up. “She said she can’t tell me. Can’t tell ‘anybody.’ What the hell does that even mean?” 

“‘Nonna…” Nicole starts. “What really happened last night? You look… You got that look on your face when you really need to talk about something, so I know you’re hiding something.” 

It is  _ so  _ fucking aggravating that Nicole always seems to know when she’s not telling her the whole truth. As much as it is aggravating… Wynonna does appreciate it. It’s nice to have someone who knows her… Who really pays attention and doesn’t ignore her pain or the things that bother her. But this time… Wynonna chews the skin of the inside of her lip and shakes her head. 

“Wyn, what is it? What happened?” 

“I accused her of cheating on you… Again,” Wynonna admits. “Huge fight. Made her cry. I regretted it as soon as I said it, but I just-- Fuck, I don’t know it just pissed me off to think about her doing that to you again, I guess…” 

Nicole looks at Wynonna with sympathy written all over her face. “And what did she say?” 

“She didn’t… She wouldn’t.” Wynonna pauses and breathes deep. She lowers her voice. “I know she wouldn’t. I shouldn’t have said that, but… Why the fuck is she lying to me?” 

“Do you tell her everywhere you go… Everyone you see?” Nicole counters. “Does she know you spent the night here the other night while she was with whoever she was with?”

“Well, no, but--”

“Look, I know it sucks… And I know how protective you are of her, but Waverly’s an adult… Just like you and me… And if she says she can’t tell anyone… Maybe she has her reasons. Why’s it such a big deal?”

Wynonna smiles sadly. “I’m just scared… What if-- What if something happens to her and I don’t know where to find her? What if the person she’s running off with is some kind of maniac killer or something and Waverly just doesn’t know?” 

Nicole shakes her head and laughs. She moves to grab Wynonna by the shoulders and make her look up at her. “Waves is tough… She can take care of herself. But more than that, she’s smart. She’s not gonna put herself in unnecessary danger. Don’t you think?” 

The feel of Nicole’s hands on her shoulders relaxes Wynonna. “Yeah, that sounds stupidly logical… As always when it comes to you.”

“Here to help.” Nicole lets her hands drop from Wynonna’s shoulders and steps back towards the box to keep decorating. “And thanks for having my back, but… I’m over Waves. And I’m pretty sure she’s over me, too… So whatever she’s doing with Mystery Person… It’s her business. I love her and just want her to be happy.” 

Wynonna looks at Nicole with amazement. She smiles softly and says with love dripping in her tone, “You’re fucking annoying.” 

“Yeah, you never let me forget it,” Nicole answers similarly. “Now help me make the yuletide gay…”

“Like you need any help making something  _ gay.”  _

“Dunno, sometimes your vibes are way gayer than mine… Just sayin’,” Nicole shoots back with a shrug. 

“Maybe if you didn’t dress like a homophobic Sunday school teacher sometimes…” 

“What?! When?!” The offense in Nicole’s voice makes Wynonna laugh loudly. 

“Oh c’mon, Haughty… Some of those floral-y button-downs… What the fuck is up with those?” 

Nicole’s jaw drops and she stares at Wynonna in dismay. 

Wynonna’s eyebrows twitch in amusement. “Did I strike a nerve, Sister Nikki?” 

“Oh, you did not just call me  _ Nikki… _ ” Nicole tilts her head as she speaks. The ornament in her hand drops softly back into the box and she takes a step towards Wynonna. 

Wynonna laughs, sticking her tongue between her teeth and nodding. She takes a step away from Nicole when she sees the taller woman stalking towards her. “What are you gonna do about it… Nikki?” 

Nicole lunges forward at the same time Wynonna jumps away and takes off through the house. She doesn’t get far before Nicole catches her from behind. Wynonna’s lifted off the ground by Nicole’s strong arms around her, pinning her own arms down over her chest so she can’t do much in the way of breaking free. 

“Take it back!” Nicole demands, laughing. 

“No!” 

“Take it back or I’m gonna find a new best friend, I swear to god,” Nicole jokes. 

Wynonna slouches in Nicole’s arm and turns her head towards the woman over her shoulder. Her voice grows a little bit softer when she asks, “Did you just call me your best friend, Haughty?” 

“Is this news to you?” Nicole responds with a question. 

“I’ve never had a best friend before, okay? Sue me for being a little surprised that someone wants to be best friends with me…” Wynonna does her best to deflect, going back to wiggling to try to get out of Nicole’s grasp. Nicole only tightens her arms around her. 

“Lucky me then, for being the first.” 

“Who said you’re  _ my  _ best friend?” Wynonna grins. 

Nicole narrows her eyes at the woman in her arms before she rolls them. “Fine. I don’t have to be your best friend, but you’re mine… Like it or not.” 

“Thought you were gonna find a new one… Nikki…” 

“Keep calling me that and I might.” 

Wynonna knows they’re only playing around, jabbing at each other back and forth, but the sting that produces in her chest is real and hurts. She tightens her jaw. “Fine, Nic. I take back the Nikki thing… But before I leave, I’m taking all your Sunday school teacher clothes and giving them to Bunny.” 

“Oh my  _ god!  _ Whatever!” Nicole finally places Wynonna back on her feet but still doesn’t make a move to let her go for too many seconds. Wynonna doesn’t try to break free. They stand there looking at each other until a clamoring from the kitchen causes them to spring apart. 

“Damn it, CJ,” Nicole murmurs under her breath, walking towards the kitchen. 

“Hey…” Wynonna calls softly. 

Nicole turns with raised brows, waiting. 

“You  _ are _ my best friend, by the way… In case it wasn’t obvious…” 

Nicole smiles softly. “You can lie to a lot of people, Earp. But not to me.” She pauses. “It’s obvious.” 

The redhead turns back to head toward the kitchen, leaving Wynonna staring after her with dreamy, dazed eyes and the softest smile she’s ever worn. 

***

After a few hours of drawing, thoughts of Waverly’s question continue to float around in Rosita’s head over and over. Every part of her wishes that it could be easy. That Waverly could tell her friends – their friends – that she’s there. She wants to be with them, for things to be normal. As much as she wants it, though, she doesn’t know if it ever will be. 

Rosita sits back for a moment and looks over the messages from Waverly again and takes a deep breath.  _ Jeremy _ . The sweet science nerd had always been so kind to her. They became friends so quickly. She never even got to say goodbye to him. 

For a moment, she thinks about what she really fears when it comes to people finding out she’s around again. The thing that presses the most is the worry that they won’t want her anymore. After what she did. 

Rosita knows she doesn’t deserve forgiveness for any of it, and doesn’t expect it from them. Least of all, from Wynonna. But she’d gotten it from Waverly, somehow. She’d been lucky enough to have the sweet, angelic woman come back into her life and forgive her. If that could happen, maybe it would be possible from the rest of them as well.

She lays her phone down and tries to relax her mind and her body again. Rosie stands up from the stool she’d been perched on and moves towards her record player, kneeling down to flip through the box of records. 

It’s muscle memory at this point. She knows where every album goes and exactly where to look for whatever she wants to find. 

Rosita’s hand goes directly for  _ Elvis’ Christmas Album.  _ The sleeve is worn from years of listening and the record skips in a few places but it’s one of Rosita’s favorites. It gets her through this month every year. 

She puts the record on and _ Blue Christmas _ starts immediately. Elvis’ voice fills her apartment and with the first few lyrics, Rosie feels a heaviness in her chest that she’s never felt when listening to this song before. 

_ I'll have a blue Christmas without you  
_ _ I'll be so blue just thinkin' about you  
_ _ Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree  
_ _ Won't be the same if you're not here with me _

Rosita makes her way to the kitchen and fills her wine glass full of pink moscato for the third time that day. She takes a long, deep drink of it and her mind drifts to Waverly. 

Christmas would be around soon--a holiday Rosie had gotten used to spending all alone many years ago. This year, though, and with this song playing, she feels the ache more than ever. 

Spending Christmas with Waverly would be magical. Getting to decorate with her. Waking up with her on Christmas Day. Getting to kiss her under the mistletoe. Doing all that cute, annoying shit that couples do. 

But they aren’t a couple. Waverly isn’t hers. Waverly has a family and a home that Rosita can’t visit or be a part of for multiple reasons. She’ll be spending this Christmas alone, too. 

The older woman sighs, feeling the effects of the wine mixing with melancholy in her chest. 

_ And when those blue snowflakes start fallin'  
_ __ That's when those blue memories start callin'  
_ You'll be doin' all right with your Christmas of white  
_ __ But I'll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas

Rosie walks back over to the place she’d been drawing. Her large sketch pad is propped on a wooden easel, set-up by the window where the sun flows through the blinds during the day. The sun has set by now, and the light that shines on the paper comes mostly from inside the room. 

Sketched beautifully in graphite is Waverly. Rosita hadn’t had many pictures of the other woman, but the few she had from before paired with her impeccable memory were enough to help her bring this image to life. 

The drawing is the younger woman from the shoulders up, looking off with her long hair flowing over one shoulder. Her cute bangs frame her face perfectly. Waverly’s eyes and her smile are soft. Mostly, she just looks so peaceful. 

Rosita takes another sip of her wine, fingers coming up to brush away some remaining eraser shavings from the paper. Brown eyes study it, looking for any flaw in the sketch before she’ll move on to painting it. It’s hard to find any flaws in a rendering of Waverly Earp. Even something pieced together mostly from her own memory. 

This woman’s every feature feels so ingrained in her mind that she’s almost certain she could draw her without opening her eyes. This will be one of her Christmas presents to Waverly, she thinks. 

She picks up her pencil to add a few more details, sketching delicately. A brisk knock on her door startles her at first. She hadn’t been expecting anyone, but then again there’s only one person who ever knocks at her door. 

A soft smile tugs at her lips and she feels warm all over as she stands up to go let Waverly in. Rosie almost feels silly for how giddy she becomes at the idea of the younger woman surprising her. It’s like the ache from earlier washes away and the words of the Elvis song are nothing but background music now. 

Rosita pulls open her door, “Waves, I –” She stops short of finishing her sentence. 

All the blood drains from her face and she feels cold all over. Panic crawls up from her stomach into her throat and chokes her, turns her to stone where she stands. 

She’s frozen, and all she knows is that the person standing outside in the dark isn’t Waverly and closing her door and hiding won’t do anything to change that. Running won’t be able to help her this time and besides… she can’t, not even if she wanted to. 


	7. suspicious minds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly worries when Rosita takes longer to answer her. A confrontation happens.

Waverly checks her phone for the millionth time. It’s been a while since Rosie answered her. She re-reads the last message from her again. 

**Rosita:** _Let me think about it, okay? I’m gonna go draw for a bit <3 text me if you need me._

Waverly looks at the texts she’s sent since then.

**Waverly:** _ How’s the drawing coming along?  _

**W:** _ Rosie, I hope I didn’t upset you by asking about Jer. I won’t say anything to anybody until you’re comfortable. <3  _

Waverly had been the one to leave Rosita hanging with how busy they had been fighting the monsters of the week. Today remains quiet and it’s strange to not have a response from Rosita for this long. 

_ Maybe, she just got lost in her drawing. Should I call her?  _ Waverly purses her lips as her brain begins to race with questions.  _ You go hours without answering her… Sometimes whole days. You can’t really get upset about her taking a few hours to herself.  _ She tries to reason with herself, but there’s a creeping feeling of trouble in her chest. 

“You find something?” Jeremy’s voice startles her. 

“What? Find something?! What is there to find?!” Waverly’s voice is higher than it had been. She doesn’t mean to be obvious, but lying is not her strongest suit and she’s had to do her fair share of it since reuniting with her friend. This is different. She lies to protect Rosita. Now, she is worried  _ for  _ Rosita… And can’t say anything about it. 

“Something about Bulshar?” Jeremy says, narrowing his eyes. “Waves, what is going on?” 

Waverly looks at her phone again. She wants so badly to tell Jeremy that she’s worried about Rosie… But, she can’t. She  _ can’t.  _ “I’m just waiting for my  _ friend  _ to text me back… It’s been longer than usual and I’m just a little worried.”

Jeremy stands from where he’s seated and walks towards Waverly. She quickly locks her phone and flips it so that it’s faced down. Sure, the contact name is fake, but without Nicole looming around her all the time, she’d started calling Rosita by name in the actual messages. 

“Is there a reason for your  _ friend  _ to be in trouble?” 

_ With more than a century of staying alive under her belt… There’s probably more reason for her to be in trouble than out of it,  _ Waverly thinks. 

“Well, aren’t we  _ all  _ in trouble in Purgatory?” She chuckles uneasily as she tries to play it off. 

The former BBD scientist tilts his head, seeming to toss the fact around in his mind and work through it. “Well, if you’re  _ us _ , sure! Oh, wait! Does this person know about all the…  _ stuff _ … that goes on here?” Jeremy raises his eyebrows on  _ stuff  _ and looks at Waverly expectantly.

_ Shit.  _

“Well, even people who don’t know stuff are in danger, y’know? With all the  _ stuff?”  _ Waverly deflects by not answering the question. “Guess, I’m just a worrier now!” 

“Now? Haven’t you always been?” 

“Good point! Yes! I have!” Waverly is too bright when she admits to Jeremy’s inquiry. 

Her best friend narrows his eyes at her again. “Oh-kay… If you’re so worried… Maybe give them a call?” 

Waverly scrunches her nose as she weighs that option. Is it too soon to call? Should she even call? Would Rosie think she’s too clingy? If Rosie’s in trouble, she can't think anything. “You think I should?” 

“I think if it’s bothering you, you should! Just say you missed them or something cute! If they’re a good  _ friend,  _ they won’t think much about it.” 

The youngest Earp takes a few more moments to really think it through. Jeremy’s right. Even though the man has no idea he’s talking about one of his old friends, he’s right. Rosie’s always so sweet and understanding. She always wants to talk to Waverly. She always misses her. 

“You’re right… Okay, I’ll call…”

Jeremy stays close and looks at Waverly with wide, waiting eyes. Waverly looks back and raises her eyebrows. It takes a few more seconds before realization dawns. “Oh! Duh! Privacy… I’ll go back over here…”

“Thanks,” Waverly says shortly. 

With Jeremy out of her space, she taps the call button. It rings… rings… rings… rings… 

_ “Leave a message.”  _ is the short voice mailbox greeting in Rosie’s voice on the other end. There’s a beep and Waverly pauses. 

“Hey, it’s me! Just wanted to call and say hey. Hope I’ll see you soon! Call back when you can!” Waverly says quickly and hangs up. She turns to look at Jeremy. “No answer…” The sinking feeling in her chest gets worse. “I’m sure it’s fine.” 

Jeremy nods. “I know what it’s like! Whenever I start dating a guy, I just wanna be with him all the time! I get so clingy. It sucks to have to wait, but… You know… People are busy!” Jeremy chuckles. “I’m sure whoever you’re talking to is just busy.”

Waverly can’t be so sure. The worst thought is the first one that invades her mind.  _ Wynonna found out. Wynonna found her. Wynonna killed her. Wynonna shot Rosie and she’s dead. Wynonna found her. Wynonna found her. Wynonna-- _

“I’m going to call ‘Nonna real quick and check on her while I’m checking on people!” Waverly decides aloud to stop that horrible stream of consciousness. 

She dials the number and the answer is almost immediate. 

_ “Hey baby girl, what’s up?”  _

“Oh, hey ‘Nonna! I was just wondering… Whatcha up to?” 

_ “Fucking Haught… She roped me in to helping her decorate her house for damn Christmas. We’re decking the halls or some shit.”  _

Waverly slumps noticeably and lets out a long breath of relief. Wynonna’s still with Nicole. The younger sister doesn’t really absorb the fact that they're doing something cute. All she concerns herself with is that Rosita has not been met with the barrel of Peacemaker in her face again. 

“Oh, so you’re still there with Nicole?” 

_ “Yep… That’s what I just said… Everything all good in researchland?”  _

“Yep! All good! I mean, I guess not good because we haven’t really found anything, but nothing bad is happening if that’s what you mean! Just sitting here… Reading away!” 

_ “Uh huh… So why’d you call? Not that I’m not happy to hear from you…”  _

“Just checking on my big sis! Missed ya!” 

_ “Are we good, then?”  _

Waverly had briefly forgotten. Last night. The fight. The sobbing. The accusations. Waverly’s throat constricts. She still doesn’t feel good about it and she hates herself for it. She’s not ready to be over the way Wynonna talked to her--even if she understands part of it. 

_ “Waves?” _

“We’ll talk more tonight? I still can’t tell you… Everything, but I think we should talk more later.” 

_ “Okay. That’s fair. Nic kinda talked me off the ledge a little… I’m-- I’m sorry. I really am sorry, Waves. I just-- Worry about you.”  _

Waverly sighs. “I know, ‘Nonna. And I worry about you. But we both have to trust each other a little more. Like I said, we’ll talk tonight, okay? I love you.”

_ “I love you, baby girl. I’ll see you at home tonight. We’ll talk… Watch a movie if you wanna. Even one of those stupid Nicholas Sparks movies if you want. I promise to keep the snarky comments to a minimum.”  _

“Sounds really nice… See you tonight.” 

The call ends and Jeremy speaks up again, “Since Wynonna and Nicole are doing whatever, can we call it a day so I can go be with Robin?” 

Waverly smiles fondly. “You can go if you want, Jer… Just figured this was quality research time we don’t get a lot…”

“Ugh, fine! You twisted my arm, I’ll stay!” 

Waverly does her best not to let her mind drift to Rosita, failing miserably. Rosita is all Waverly can ever think about now. It is so much worse while her fate is so uncertain. Suddenly, Waverly feels like utter  _ shit  _ for ever putting Rosita through this torture. 

In the same moment, she feels terrible, it comforts her. Waverly may be in danger when she’s not answering Rosita, but she  _ always ends up okay.  _ Rosie will, too. Rosie always will. 

Still. 

_ No.  _

It hits her. 

It hits her like a ton of bricks. 

She scrolls on her phone again and taps a different contact. It rings three times. Then, there’s an answer. 

***

“‘Waves’...” A cool voice repeats back to Rosita. “As you can see… I am not ‘Waves.’” 

“How did you find me?” Rosita manages to choke out. The revenant stands face to face, eye to eye, with the father of the child she had tried to steal and give away to preserve herself for many more years to come. 

Doc raises an eyebrow and tilts his head. “As you know, I am most excellent at finding things… And you have such a peculiar, lovely smell--one of the best senses to rely upon for remembering things… Waverly Earp walked into my bar yesterday needing a ride to the homestead.” 

The man steps forward and Rosita moves out of the way to accommodate his entrance. He walks further into her place, uninvited and begins to look around and take the place in. He continues, “When we were alone in Charlene, I smelled a familiar smell. Waverly tried to assure me it was a new perfume, but then I recognized a familiar set of clothes on her.”

Rosita watches with ice in her veins as Doc invades her sanctuary and talks about Waverly. She tries to fight every alarm in her body that is telling her to run again.  _ You’re tired of running,  _ she reminds herself.  _ You can’t run without saying goodbye to Waverly. You don’t want to run away from Waverly. _

“I was left to wonder for a few short hours how I might go about exploring my hypothesis when I remembered how much you loved this area of the city. I drove until I found a familiar black ‘74 Pontiac Firebird... When I heard the faint sounds of Elvis Presley… I decided to give a knock…” 

Rosita closes the door and folds her arms protectively over her body as all of the puzzle pieces fall too easily into place. If it had been  _ anyone else _ who had given Waverly that ride home… Waverly can’t have known. Waverly would never do this to her. Not again.  _ Not again.  _

“So, what? Why are you here?” Rosita asks with a thick knot in her throat. She doesn’t know what this means for her, but all she can see in her future is more running if she wants to stay alive. Then, the too-vivid image of a glowing Peacemaker resurfaces in her mind. 

Doc looks around the flat for a few more moments before turning back to Rosita. “Well, Waverly is hiding you… Keeping you a secret… I was merely wondering  _ why _ . What has made her loyal to you over her own flesh and blood?”

The revenant tenses. She can feel her arms and hands begin to shake. “Why didn’t you ask her?” 

“Because she is keeping you a secret. I can tell when someone is going to show their hand… Waverly simply was not going to do that…” Doc tilts his head and rests one hand on the pistol sitting on his hip. “Why?” 

Rosita tries again to swallow the thickness in her throat, but it only grows tighter. “We’re friends. She forgave me. She knows-- She knows I was just trying to stay alive. She knows I was scared. She promised… To keep it a secret that I was back until I was ready.”

A grim chuckle falls from Doc’s lip. The smile on his lips seems almost cruel. It terrifies Rosita. 

“Until you were ready for what exactly? Facing the woman who will shoot you within the moment of seeing you? Facing the man whose child you almost surely delivered to death’s door?” He sighs. “Then again… If Waverly trusts you… I suppose I should give you a chance.” 

“Doc, I  _ am  _ sorry for almost taking Alice. I never wanted-- Wynonna pulled Peacemaker on me that day in the bar… When Nicole was dying of the widow bite. I avoided that fate this whole time. I wasn’t ready-- It tore me apart and I was desperate.  _ Please _ ,” she begs. 

The gunslinger fixes his crystal blue eyes intently upon Rosita and listens to every word, taking in every syllable carefully. He searches for her  _ tell _ \--the signal that she’s lying. He doesn’t find it and he softens. “You were once a dear friend, Rosita. You have never deserved this fate. And I do know what it is like to be desperate to continue living. I-- Have become reacquainted with the feeling in light of recent losses.” He wiggles the finger where his ring used to sit. 

A ringtone interrupts their conversation and Rosita sees her phone sitting across the room. Neither of them make a move towards it. 

“Are you going to get that?” Doc asks. 

“They can leave a message.” 

It is almost certainly Waverly, but Rosita doesn’t want to have to lie to Waverly and something tells her that Waverly doesn’t know Doc is here. Every cell in her body  _ hopes and prays  _ that Waverly doesn’t know Doc is here. 

“Are you going to tell Wynonna where I am?” Rosita finally asks the burning question. 

“Wynonna and I are not the most talkative pair as of late…” Doc tells Rosita information she’s already privy to (thanks to Waverly). “I do not have a reason to tell her of your whereabouts… I will say this--if you are using Waverly Earp to carry out some scheme--”

“I’m not,” Rosita bites back defensively. 

Doc raises an eyebrow at her, but remains silent, waiting to see what else might spill out. 

“I wouldn’t do that. I would never use Waverly.” Heat rises in Rosita’s chest and she clenches her fists tight at her sides. 

Doc’s phone rings now.  _ Ring _ . He reaches into his pocket.  _ Ring.  _ The caller ID seems to have summoned their current topic.  _ Ring.  _ He answers. 

“Waverly, darlin’, to what do I owe this pleasant surprise?” He greets as if nothing remarkable is happening at the moment. 

_ “Doc! Hey! So glad you picked up! What are you up to?”  _

“Oh, I am just having a talk with an old friend.” 

_ “An old friend?”  _ The panic in Waverly’s voice would barely be noticeable if Doc wasn’t so attentive. 

“Yes, darlin’. An old friend. Did you call for any particular purpose?” Doc doesn’t take his eyes off Rosita. 

_ “Um… Just checking in on my people! Just got off the phone with Wynonna… Um, who are you talking to?”  _

“Oh, don’t you worry your pretty little head about that, Waverly Earp.”

_ “Doc… Where are you?” _

“I am afraid I will have to cut this conversation short. I will speak with you later. Farewell, darlin’.” Doc ends the call before Waverly can say anything else. 

“She’s going to know you’re here,” Rosita tells him firmly. 

“Oh, I have no doubt about that. I suppose she will be on her way…”

“Why are you doing this?” Rosita asks, anger replacing the fear in her with each passing second. If Waverly shows up, she has no idea what’s going to happen. If Waverly  _ doesn’t  _ show up, what does that say about their… friendship? 

Doc moves to take a seat on the couch. He removes his hat from his head and places it on the table in front of him. “I have just forced Waverly’s hand. I am not trying to  _ do  _ anything. I want to see what we are playing with here.”

“No one’s playing anything, Doc. I just want to fucking live my life. Waverly found me by some fucking miraculous turn of fate and she’s been-- really great for me. It’s been nice and I don’t want anything to ruin it.” Rosita is cold as she speaks. She walks towards her living area, but remains standing at a safe distance from her ex-boyfriend. 

“I am not here to ruin anything. Your reintroduction into our  _ family  _ is not going to be easy, Rosita. I merely aim to assess the potential damage.” 

The way that Doc seems cool and calm about this only further infuriates Rosita. She knows she needs to get a grip on herself before the demon within her rises to the surface. If Doc keeps this up, though… 

“I am not going to harm you, Rosita. You can sit down and relax while we wait for Waverly to get here.” 

“I’m good right here.” 

***

Twenty minutes later, Waverly bursts through the door without knocking and places herself in front of where Rosita is standing. She reaches for Rosita’s face without a moment of thought and holds her gently. “Rosie, are you okay?” 

Careful, soft hands on Rosita’s face make her feel like she’s floating on cloud nine for a few precious moments. “Waves, I’m fine… He’s-- Just--” Rosita nods towards Doc over Waverly’s shoulder.

Waverly turns, reaching her arm back behind her in a protective manner. It would be adorable if the younger woman wasn’t so frantic and scared. When her eyes find Doc lounging, she lowers her guard a bit. 

“Hello, darlin’... I see you have reunited with our old friend, too…” Doc states painly, barely moving. 

“Doc, what the hell?! Why didn’t you just ask me about it yesterday? Why the dramatics?” Waverly spits accusingly. She stiffens again, trying to make herself taller. Rosita reaches down and grasps at Waverly’s hand, attempting to ground them both. It helps, if only just slightly. 

“Were you going to tell me yesterday? If I had questioned you enough?” Doc is still cool and collected. 

Waverly bites down hard on her jaw and tightens her grip on Rosita’s hand. It takes her longer to answer than it should. There is only one answer. “No. I wouldn’t have told you. No matter what. I promised that I wouldn’t.” 

“Precisely… I had not factored in you calling and figuring out there was something wrong today, but now that we are all present, I suppose we can all be honest now?” Doc rises to his feet and Waverly moves to be as in-his-way as she possibly can. “Starting with why you are hiding Rosita and sneaking away to have sleepovers with her?” 

Waverly glares at Doc. A long, annoyed breath expels from her nose before she smirks wickedly. “Have you told Wynonna about your wife being in town? Or that you’ve been sneaking off to have sleepovers with  _ her _ ?” 

Doc smiles, clearly impressed with Waverly’s skills of deduction.

“Kate’s here?!” Rosita asks loudly. 

Waverly turns to look at Rosita over her shoulder. “Wait, you know Kate? From way back when?” 

“From when I was human? No, uh, I died before I ever met her then. We um--” Rosita cuts her eyes towards Doc. “We had a thing at one point.” 

Waverly feels that familiar sting of jealousy. First, Nicole calls her hot like eighty times when they were still together right in front of her face. Then, Doc is married to her. Now, Rosita… Waverly finds herself disliking “Big Nose” Kate more and more because her nose is perfect and so is everything else. She’s had Rosita when Waverly hasn’t. 

“Oh.” Waverly can’t hide her disappointment well enough and Doc’s lips twitch again. 

“Back to the original matter at hand… I have not told Wynonna anything. She and I have no obligation to share such things with one another… However, this woman here…”

“This woman?!” Rosita twists her face in pure disgust and offense. 

Doc sighs and corrects himself.  _ “Rosita  _ is on your sister’s hit list. Because of what she did to our daughter.” 

“I said I was sorry!” 

“And you think that will just…” Doc flexes his hand and blows out a quick breath of air. “...make Wynonna forget what you did?” 

“Rosita isn’t the only one who messed up here!” Waverly cuts in. “I’m the one who told Wynonna before I should have and Wynonna didn’t have to threaten Rosie--not after everything Rosie did for us. They both have things to apologize for!” 

“Do you think your sister will agree?” 

Waverly falters. “I don’t know. But, it doesn’t change anything…” Her expression melts and she looks to Doc with pleading, shining eyes. “Henry… Please, you can’t tell her. Not yet.  _ Please don’t tell her. _ ” 

Doc seems to slump when Waverly calls him by his middle name. It is the name she saves for their most sincere moments. There is no questioning it any further. This is important to Waverly and Doc has never been one to be able to deny Waverly much of anything. 

“For the record,” Doc starts. “I did not come here with malicious intent. When you lied to me in the car, I could tell you wouldn’t betray her… But I want you to know… Both of you… I am glad to have you back, Rosita. I will not tell Wynonna until you both decide it is the right time. Tread carefully with that.” 

Both women relax and press into one another more subconsciously. 

“If either of you find yourselves in any trouble… You know how to reach me,” Doc goes to walk past them, eyeing them closely. He looks past Waverly and locks eyes with Rosita. “And remember that I can track down anything or anyone… If anyone decides to… Have another lapse in judgment.” 

Rosita takes an angry step forward, but Waverly plants herself more firmly and stops her in her tracks. “Thank you, Doc. We appreciate it.” 

“Good day, ladies,” Doc replies evenly, tipping his hat before walking out of the flat. 

Waverly turns to look at Rosita the moment they’re alone. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I should have thought about the fact that Doc would have recognized-- I should have thought about it and I’m just so sorry. I know that had to be so scary.” 

“Hey,” Rosita calls out softly. She brings a hand up to the side of Waverly’s face and gives her a soft grin. “It was a little scary, but it’s not your fault. He said you wouldn’t betray me.” There is so much awe in her last statement. A moment of light seeps in--what she is building with Waverly is  _ real.  _ Even if it’s just their friendship… It’s okay, because it’s  _ real  _ just like this.

“But I should have been more careful! I should--” 

Rosita brings Waverly into a firm hug and holds the back of her head with one of her hands. “Waves, all you did was ask a friend for a ride home. I’m the one that basically plastered a neon sign all over you by putting you in my clothes.” 

Waverly sinks into the embrace and allows her eyes to close. “I was so worried when you didn’t answer… I had this stupid feeling in my chest that something was wrong. But, then I called Wynonna and she wasn’t here so I tried to let myself think it was okay. Then, I remembered Doc yesterday… God, I was so scared.”

“I’m right here, Waves,” Rosita promises. 

“Don’t run away again,” Waverly begs quietly. 

“I’m not.” 

They stand like that for so long, letting the tension and the drama of the last hour wash away with each moment in one another’s arms. Finally, Waverly pulls back and gives Rosita a sad smile.

“I should, um, I should probably get back to the station. I have plans with Wynonna tonight and I need to let Jeremy know I’m okay.” 

The sadness in her voice makes Rosita ache. “I understand… Thank you for coming… For protecting me.” 

“What else was I supposed to do?” Waverly asks, shaking her head. “You’re so-- Important.” 

Rosita’s breath catches at the admission. She’s trying to let herself believe that she could be important to Waverly. She’s trying to let herself believe that she is worthy of the care the woman is giving her, but she doesn’t think it will ever stop affecting her like this. “I am?”

“Yes! Don’t you know that?” Waverly sounds like she’s gasping for air when she begs the question. 

“Starting to.”

“Well, if you’re not running away, I have time to show you… But, I really have to go now. I’ll call you later if you’re up. Maybe we can do what we did last night?”

“I’d like that, Waves.” 

Waverly reaches for Rosita’s hand and grabs, squeezing gently. “Call you later, Rosie.” 

“Later, Waves.” 

They linger in silence. Eyes drop to lips, then raise back up to the other pair of eyes. Waverly finally takes the steps towards the door and leaves Rosita to collapse with the overwhelming emotions wreaking havoc over every inch of her. 


	8. unlikely angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly and Wynonna try to have their movie night and relieve some of the tension between them, but things don't go as planned when Waverly presses a certain issue.

Leaving Rosita gets harder and harder every single time. With Doc clued in, Waverly doesn’t know how much longer she can handle lying to Wynonna. Then, she remembers the fear in Rosita’s eyes. She remembers the way the bullet grazed Rosita’s head and the way the blood trickled down the side of her face. She remembers pulling the trigger and the way her stomach churned at the thought of a world without Rosita. 

A moment later she tastes salt and realizes that tears are streaming from her eyes quietly. Waverly swallows the knot in her throat and her resolve returns stronger than before. No matter what, she can’t put Rosita in that position again. No matter what. 

And… She trusts Doc. Even with his behavior… She trusts him. For her own peace, she has no other choice. 

Waverly sits still in her jeep for a few more seconds before pulling her phone out and scrolling to Jeremy’s name. She taps the phone icon and waits. 

“Waves! Are you okay? Where did you have to run off to?” Jeremy’s panicked words all run together. Waverly almost misses what he says, but the gist of it is clear enough. 

“Everything’s okay… I can’t… Tell you where I had to go exactly, but my friend is fine. She’s okay.” Waverly expels the last words as if she’s taking a life-saving breath after nearly drowning. Her lungs fill with the next breath she takes and she begins to calm. 

“She?” Jeremy questions, piqued. 

_ Shit.  _ Up until this point, Waverly had been so careful to keep her language neutral.  _ Fuck.  _

“Yeah…” Waverly hopes the short answer will make Jeremy drop it. 

There are a few moments of silence before Jeremy finally speaks again, “Good, I’m glad.” 

_ Thank you, Jer.  _ Waverly thinks silently. The former BBD scientist knows what it’s like to keep a secret from the rest of the group for the good of one of them. Jeremy alone had carried the burden of Dolls’ worsening condition for months. The weight of Dolls’ death still weighs heavy on Jeremy. Waverly can see it every time the fallen hero is mentioned. 

“Look, I think I just need to go home. You go be with Robin,” Waverly suggests. Neither of them had done much researching and she knows all she’ll be able to focus even less now. 

“Okay, Waves. I’ll talk to you later. Glad you and your friend are alright. And you know where to find me--always.” Jeremy offers unconditional support and Waverly’s never felt more grateful. 

“I know. Talk later, Jer.” 

***

Waverly types out a quick text to Rosita when she gets to the empty homestead. 

**Waverly:** _ Made it home safe. How are you doing? _

It takes several minutes before a reply comes through, but Waverly practically leaps at her phone when she hears the notification sound. 

**Rosita:** _ Sorry, Waves. I went back to drawing. I’m okay. Do you think Doc will tell Wynonna?  _ _  
_ **W:** _ No. They don’t talk anymore. Doc is too busy trying to keep Kate a secret. Guess we’re all keeping secrets now… _ _  
_ **R:** _ I’m sorry I’m making you lie.  _ _  
_ **W:** _ You’re not making me do anything. Your life is more important than telling the truth all the time.  _

Waverly watches as the three dots animate across the screen. They disappear a second later. Then, the animation begins again. Gone again. Dots… Nothing. Either Rosita is typing out an elaborate and long message or she is reconsidering and typing new things every time. 

Finally, a message comes through. 

**R:** _ What are you doing for Christmas?  _

Waverly blinks in surprise at the message. She chews on the inside of her lip and grins. Rosita must have been trying to decide how to ask her about her plans… Or maybe ask her to do something. 

**W:** _ Wynonna and I will probably decorate soon and then make dinner. I’m sure Nicole and Jeremy, probably Robin, and maybe even Doc might be there. _ _  
_ **R:** _ Oh right.  _ _  
_ **W:** _ But after, I can probably sneak away.  _ _  
_ **W:** _ If you want me to.  _ _  
_ **R:** _ You don’t have to.  _ _  
_ **W:** _ What if I want to? _ _  
_ **R:** _ My door is always open for you. Any time. You know the drill.  _

It knocks the wind out of Waverly every single time. There is no doubt left in her about the truth of these words. They’re absolute truths, but still her chest tightens and the butterflies in her stomach flutter. 

A sudden surge of courage and adrenaline courses through Waverly’s veins as her fingers tap against the screen. She presses send before she loses her nerve. 

**W:** _ What if I wanted to stay the night again?  _ _  
_ **R:** _ Make sure to bring a change of clothes ;)  _

Waverly grins. The winking face causes a...  _ reaction.  _

**W:** _ :( But I liked wearing your clothes.  _ _  
_ **R:** _ And I like seeing you in them.  _ _  
_ **R:** _ Just a little risky with everything that happened…  _ _  
_ **R:** _ Wear them when you’re here.  _ _  
_ **W:** _ Deal. And I get to keep your jacket.  _ _  
_ **R:** _ You drive a hard bargain, Waves. _ _  
_ **W:** _ Take it or leave it, Bustillos.  _ _  
_ **R:** _ See you on Christmas. <3  _

The heart makes Waverly’s ache. The sound of the door closing makes her body jump almost comically. Wynonna can’t see her texts, she reminds herself. Shaking her head and trying to calm again, she types out one final response before locking her phone. 

**W:** _ Hope I see you before then, too. <3 Wyn just got here. I’ll text soon.  _

“Baby girl? Where you at, kid?” Wynonna’s voice is muffled downstairs. 

“Upstairs! I’ll be down in a sec!” Waverly calls back. She changes into pajama pants and a big t-shirt before jogging lightly down the stairs. A couple bags of snacks are on the couch when she turns the corner and she hears Wynonna rustling around in her “room.” 

“You went to the store and got snacks? Awwwww, ‘Nonna!” Waverly coos adoringly. 

“What? Oh  _ pfft.  _ I swiped those from Haught,” Wynonna offers dismissively. She’s pulling a tank top on as she walks back into the common living area. “She owes me way more than that for duping me into decorating her house… I only like doing that with you.” Wynonna nudges her baby sister as she walks past her and flops down on the couch. 

Waverly smirks at her older sister. She sure seems chipper and light for someone who had just been doing something she  _ doesn’t like.  _ “Right… Is that why there’s tinsel in your hair? Like… So much of it…”

Wynonna raises her eyebrows and purses her lips, caught in her white lie. Okay, maybe it had been fun…  _ Maybe,  _ Nicole had wrapped her up in tinsel and told her she needed to get more in the holiday spirit.  _ Maybe,  _ Wynonna had let her without much of a fight and  _ maybe,  _ her cheeks are still hurting from how much she’d laughed and smiled. 

“Well, you know the Jolly Red Giant likes to give me hell. You should see the other guy,” she jokes. “But whatever. We’re going to watch one of your sappy ass movies and we’re going to have a night--just us. And I’m not gonna ask you about your secret friend who totally could be a serial killer because I don’t know anything about them--”

Waverly tilts her head forward and looks at her pointedly. “Wynonna,” she warns.

“Fine! That’s the last thing I’ll say about them… Today.” 

“Thank you!” Waverly nods. 

“What are we watching? Nick Sparks? Hallmarks?”

“Dolly Parton?” Waverly asks cutely, flashing her teeth. 

Wynonna brightens at this. “You  _ do  _ love me… You really do love me, Waves. You know I love me some Dolly.” 

“It’s still pretty sappy, but I figured it was a good compromise!” Waverly moves to grab the worn DVD case of a made-for-TV movie,  _ Unlikely Angel. _ The two of them had watched this when Wynonna would sneak into Waverly’s room back when Wynonna was in foster care. It’d been  _ ages  _ since the last time, though. Waverly pops the DVD into the player before moving to sit cross-legged on her side of the couch. 

The movie is cheesier than either of them remember it being. Waverly flips the case over a few minutes into the movie and laughs. It’s original release was in 1996. That explains it. 

Dolly plays… Dolly. Waverly glances over at Wynonna every few moments and struggles to keep herself from giggling at how quickly Wynonna becomes engrossed. Dolly’s character reminds Waverly of Wynonna a little. She wonders if Wynonna’s letting herself identify with the caricature. 

The estranged family Dolly is tasked with reuniting reminds Waverly that she  _ still  _ hasn’t been able to visit their mother. Ever since the accident stopped them, Wynonna hasn’t brought it up again. And things… Things just  _ keep  _ happening. 

It’s almost Christmas, though, and she knows where their mother is. 

Wynonna’s crying silently by the time Dolly sings the title track from the film and Waverly pretends not to notice. 

The words of the song are simple, but puncture the Earp Heir’s heart. 

_ Like the Phoenix _ _  
_ _ From the ash and dirt _ _  
_ _ I rose up from the pain and hurt _ _  
_ _ When I was at my very worst _ _  
_ _ I found you _

_ Thought I could never love again _ _  
_ _ When a spark of light came beaming in _ _  
_ _ A thread of hope _ _  
_ _ For me to spin around you _

_ Unlikely angel _ _  
_ _ Standing there in front of me _ _  
_ _ As if you were my destiny _ _  
_ _ Like we were always meant to be together _

_ Unlikely angel _ _  
_ _ It feels so right inside your love _ _  
_ _ Like God has sent you from above _ _  
_ _ To honor, cherish, and to love forever _

Never would Wynonna admit it aloud, but there’s only one person she’s thinking of when she hears this song. There’s only one person that she can think of in her whole life who has seen past all her bullshit and given her a chance. There’s only one person that she can  _ exist  _ near without crushing expectations or the weight of the world heavy on her shoulders. 

She brings her fingers up to wipe the tears away from her eyes, too afraid to glance at her younger sister. If she doesn’t see Waverly staring at her, she can pretend that Waverly doesn’t see her crying over a corny, three-stars-at-best Christmas movie starring Dolly Parton. 

The movie is over about twenty minutes later and Waverly shuts the television off. 

“Well! That was a hoot and a half, wasn’t it?” Wynonna imitates Dolly’s exaggerated accent and slaps her hands against her thighs. 

Waverly doesn’t respond. The urge to mention Mama had been growing for the hour and a half duration of the movie. In the silence, it’s worse. 

“What is it, baby girl?”

“Wouldn’t that be nice?” Waverly baits. 

“Dying, helping someone else get their happy ending, and then becoming an angel?” Wynonna wonders aloud. “What are you talkin’ about, Waves?”

Waverly licks her lips and clears her throat. “We could… We could have Christmas… With Mama?” 

A loud, exasperated breath pushes harshly through Wynonna’s nostrils. “There it is…” 

“Well! You were going to take me to see her before! Why not for Christmas? It would be such a nice surprise for her and--”

“Waverly! The last time we went to see Mama, you got kidnapped by some creepy voice-stealing revenant, I was thrown off of a cliff and--” Wynonna’s voice cracks before she can finish, but Waverly knows what goes left unsaid. 

_ Dolls died.  _

“Look… I know you want to see Mama… But… Maybe that was the world’s way of keeping us away from her. Mama never wanted you to know where she was anyway. It’s not like she’s any fucking help to either of us. She’s locked up in that place for a reason… And maybe it’s better you just keep what good memories you have of her. You don’t need to see her like that.” 

Waverly tries to listen with an open mind and an open heart, but the loudest emotion thrumming inside of her is  _ anger.  _ “I’m not a child anymore, Wynonna!” 

“No, you’re not. But you are still my baby sister--”

“Uagh!” Waverly stands to her feet. Her hands are balled into fists when she brings them up to each side of her head. “Just take me to see her! I’m not taking no for an answer!”

Wynonna looks at her sister with sympathetic eyes and stands to her feet, reaching out to place her hands on Waverly’s shoulders. The shorter woman recoils and shakes her head. Sighing, Wynonna rubs her lips together between her teeth and shakes her head. 

“I’m sorry… I just  _ can’t. _ I feel like if we go back there, something even worse could happen and I just--  _ can’t  _ deal with that right now. I can’t deal with Mama fucking up the little, tiny moments of peace we get… Please, Waves… Please, baby girl,” Wynonna begs, using her clasped hands for added effect. 

There’s a short silence as they stare at one another. Wynonna’s blue eyes are wide and shining, desperate for Waverly to just see things the way she does. Waverly’s green eyes are stone cold and almost glossed over as the anger still bubbles inside of her. 

“Whatever, Wynonna.”

Wynonna can see that she’s losing Waverly and she steps forward again, only for Waverly to step back. The distance between them stays the same. “Look, weren’t we going to talk? We were gonna get all good again and--”

“Forget it,” Waverly says weakly. 

“Waves…”

Waverly raises a hand. Her eyes screw shut as her head shakes firmly. “No!” Waverly sucks in a sharp breath and runs her tongue along the inside of her cheek. “Forget it, Wynonna. It’s not fair. You’ve known for  _ years  _ where our mother was. You’ve seen our mother so many times and lied to my face about it--”

“She made me promise!” Wynonna shouts over Waverly. 

_ She made me promise.  _ Promise. Her promise to Rosita. What could she say to that without becoming the world’s biggest hypocrite? What could she say to justify Wynonna breaking a promise to their own  _ mother,  _ when she couldn’t justify breaking a promise to her… Rosita? 

“I’m going to bed,” Waverly surrenders, turning her back to her sister.

“It’s like seven o’clock…”

“I’m tired,” Waverly bites. 

“I am… trying here, Waverly. I am trying to be the dutiful big sister who protects you. I’m trying to be a good mother and break this goddamned curse so my little girl never has to go through this! I’m trying to be a good deputy for--  _ him.  _ I’m-- I’m  _ trying,”  _ Wynonna says through her tears that have begun to fall again--her emotions still exposed by that stupid movie and their  _ constant _ fighting. 

Waverly looks towards the ceiling and throws her head back. She turns her head slightly so that Wynonna can see her profile. “I don’t need the  _ dutiful  _ big sister. I don’t want to be some  _ duty  _ or burden. I just-- I know you’re trying… But, I am, too,” Waverly offers. “I don’t want to fight anymore. I’m tired of fighting with you.”

She takes a couple steps before turning back right at the foot of the stairs. “I love you, ‘Nonna. Thanks for the movie.” 

“I love you, baby girl. We’ll try again tomorrow?” Wynonna begs softly. 

“We’ll try again tomorrow…” Waverly agrees before disappearing upstairs. 

***

Waverly falls face-first onto her bed and screams into the duvets. The sound is muffled and she hopes that Wynonna doesn’t hear it, but knows better. She can hardly find it in her to care. Her older sister probably feels the same damn way. 

They’ve fought two times in just as many days about just as many things. Waverly has her secret from the group. Doc has his. Wynonna had hers with Mama… She wonders if Nicole has one she’s going to drop on them like a bombshell soon. What’s next? Jeremy is actually Bulshar?

Her phone vibrates on the bedside table next to her. She slides it open and checks the messages she has. 

**Rosita:** _ Me too. Have fun with Wynonna, Waves. Let the drama rest for a night.  _

Waverly huffs humorlessly. “Well… So much for that.”

There’s another message from the woman that’s just come through. 

**Rosita:** _ Think I’m done drawing. So call me whenever you settle in for the night if you still want to.  _

Waverly doesn’t hesitate. The answer is immediate. 

_ “Damn, that was quick, Waves. Movie night over already?”  _

“Heh… Well, about that…” 

_ “Oof. Guessing you ignored my advice?”  _ Rosita asks softly. 

“Not intentionally. I didn’t see your message until after everything happened… I just am  _ so  _ annoyed,” Waverly starts. “We watched this old Dolly Parton Christmas movie about her being an angel--”

_ “Oh, I love that movie!”  _ Rosita remarks. The revenant thinks of one verse in particular. 

_ The smile upon your angel face _ _  
_ _ The heaven in your eyes replace _ _  
_ _ The hell that I've been going through _ _  
_ _ Before you _

Rosita will swear until her dying day that Waverly Earp is an angel. It’s the very reason that she will never let herself believe that Waverly could want her as more than a friend. Despite the flirting… The cuddling… None of it means to Waverly what it means to Rosita. She’ll never deserve her. 

Waverly softens and giggles at Rosita’s excitement over the Dolly Parton film. She realizes that Rosita probably watched that woman climb to super stardom, just as she had watched Elvis. “Big Dolly fan, Rosie?” 

_ “Who isn’t? That woman is about as perfect as they come. She pretty much paved the way for women to be able to have big boobs and big brains…”  _ Rosita jokes. 

The comment makes Waverly laugh fully now. Of course, the sinfully beautiful Rosita with a body that would never quit and a mind more brilliant than even the sun would align with Dolly Parton’s unique brand of feminism. 

“Makes sense why  _ you’d _ relate to her, then,” Waverly teases. 

_ “Waverly Earp… Have you been looking at my boobs?”  _

A grin is evident in the playful tone of Rosita’s voice, but Waverly can’t stop the chill from running down her spine at just how  _ sultry  _ it sounds. She has to bite her lip to keep her from making a soft sigh of desire. 

“Hey, remember that time we were in a hot tub?” Waverly answers with a question.

_ “How could I forget?”  _

“Yeah… Well, kinda hard not to notice… things… in that situation.” 

Rosita chuckles and Waverly thinks she might die before the call is over. 

_ “Anyways… About the you being annoyed thing--What happened?”  _

Waverly had almost forgotten. Rosita is too good at making Waverly feel better--that much had become evident the moment Waverly couldn’t fight off the urge to kiss her that very night. 

“Right, that… Well, we were watching that movie and well you know it, so, you know it’s about Dolly reuniting this estranged family so I got to thinking about--”

_ “Your mom.”  _

“Yeah… And I asked Wynonna when we could try to go see her again and she just completely shut me down! Says the accident we got into was a ‘sign’ that we shouldn’t go see her.” 

Rosita considers for a moment before responding.  _ “Did you say your mom told Wynonna not to tell you where she was?”  _

Waverly’s jaw tightens. “Yeah,” she whispers. 

_ “Do you know why?”  _

“I guess because she hates me?” 

_ “Waves… Maybe it’s something else… What do you remember about her?”  _

What a question. What  _ does  _ she remember about her mother? What are actual memories and what are things that Gus told her that have become like memories? 

“Well, I was six when she ‘left’ but obviously a lot of other stuff happened when I was six… The homestead was attacked… Mostly, I just remember… She loved me when my dad… Well, the man I thought was my dad… Didn’t. She loved me when my oldest sister tormented me and Wynonna did her best in the middle. She always called me her angel.”

_ “Dang… Here I was thinking that I was the first person to suggest that…”  _

“Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but even Bobo beat you to that one…” Waverly pauses. The next words play in her head three times, quickly, before she finally forces them out of her throat. “But it sounds the sweetest coming from you.”

Almost immediately, she closes her eyes and mouths  _ stupid, stupid, stupid.  _

_ “Then, I’ll keep it up, angel.”  _

Hearing the nickname like  _ that _ makes Waverly tingle from the tips of her fingers to the ball of her shoulders. The sensation causes her to imagine wrapping Rosita up in her arms. The train of thought is halted when Rosita continues to speak. 

_ “It sounds like you have good memories of her… Visiting someone in prison… One that’s also a mental institute… Might mess up some of those memories, don’t you think?”  _

“Maybe… But, they’re kind of already ruined by the fact that she apparently never wants to see me again.” 

_ “Maybe she’s ashamed… Scared that her angel might see her… As something else.”  _ Rosita speaks the words with a deeper conviction than Waverly can grasp. The conviction does break through to the younger woman, though. 

“Starting to think your special revenant ability is just knowing the right thing to say at the right time,” Waverly jests. 

_ “Maybe it is. Or maybe… I just relate,”  _ Rosita admits. 

“To my mom?” 

_ “To being afraid that I ruined the way you see me.”  _

“Oh…” Waverly gasps. “Rosie…”

_ “No, this isn’t about me. I know it sucks ass. And I know you want to see her. But, just remember to ask yourself if you’re ready for what little you have left of her to be changed forever.”  _

“Fine… I don’t want to think about it right now, though,” Waverly confesses. “Tell me what you’ve been drawing.”

_ “Hmm… Nope. Can’t…” _

“What?! Why?” 

_ “You’ll see…”  _

***

Wynonna had cleaned up around downstairs for an hour or so until she finally climbed into her own bed at about a quarter past eight. Her mind wanders to the large fluffy cat that lives with her best friend. What she would give to have that mongrel curled up on her chest right now, practically crushing her. Instead, she settles for the next best thing. Haught, herself. She presses Nicole’s name in her phone and listens as it rings. 

_ “Earp? Everything okay?” _ Nicole answers concernedly. 

“Slow your roll, Haught Cakes. Things are fine. Just got done with ruining another night with Waves, no big deal,” Wynonna sighs. 

_ “What happened?”  _

***

The next morning, Wynonna wakes to see her dead phone lying on the bed next to her.  _ Shit.  _ Had she fallen asleep on the phone with Nicole? Yeah… She shakes her head, trying to clear the sleepiness out of her eyes. She fumbles with her charger and plugs her phone in before raising out of bed and making her way upstairs. 

Waverly’s door is open, causing Wynonna to frown. Her sister would never have fallen asleep with the door open like that. As she approaches the doorway, she realizes how eerily quiet the home is. The worry starts to creep from her throat right down into her chest. 

Her suspicions are confirmed when she finally sees Waverly’s bed perfectly made up and  _ empty.  _

The Heir moves to the window in Waverly’s room and looks out to where their cars should be parked. Her truck sits there, but Wavelry’s jeep is gone. 

_ What time is it?  _

Wynonna walks back down to her room and picks up her phone, hoping that Waverly left her a text or something. There’s only one new message from around one o’clock in the morning. 

**Haught:** _ You fell asleep a little while ago, but I think your phone just died. I’m sorry shit’s rough with Waves. Don’t forget to not be an ass, even if I do think you’re right to keep Waves away for now.  _

“Oh fuck you, Haughty…” Wynonna whispers with a smile. 

**Wynonna:** _ Being an ass is my default setting, sorry, Haught. Don’t hold your breath.  _ _  
_ **W:** _ Also, thanks.  _ _  
_ **W:** _ Loser.  _ __  
__  
Wynonna taps on Waverly’s name next and the phone rings… and rings… and rings… Until it goes to voicemail. “You little shit, I’m getting the cold shoulder now?” She tries again. Voicemail again. One last time… Voicemail. She waits for the beep. 

“Baby girl, just let me know you’re all good as soon as you can. Don’t have to know if you’re with your special friend or whatever, just that you’re alive. I’m about to head to the station. Love you, baby girl.” 

Wynonna sees another notification come through. 

**Haught:** _ Anytime, asshole. Get your top shelf ass to work. We got shit to do. :P  _

***

Waverly steps out of the jeep and takes a deep breath. Despite her nerves surrounding what she’s about to do, her stride is steady and sure as she makes her way to the door. 

She’s tired of waiting… She’s tired of dragging it out. 

It’s now or never. 


	9. mommy issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly takes a chance. It doesn't go as planned. She's left with more questions than she gets answers.

Waverly bounces on her heels as she waits. All of her nerves are firing so quickly, making her tremble anxiously. Her own blood eats away at her. These are the last moments she has left of uncertainty. Finally, she’s going to get answers. Finally, she’s going to ask the woman all of the questions that have been swimming around in her head for so long. 

The sound of the woman’s voice comes from behind her and she turns to lay eyes upon her. 

Michele Gibson. 

_ Mama.  _

Words fail Waverly as she stands there waiting. A gentle smile tugs at her lips and her eyes begin to sting with tears. 

“Waverly?” Michelle questions quietly. She looks equally awe-stricken as she looks at the daughter she hasn’t seen since she was six years old. “Wow. My little one.”

“Mama…” Waverly nearly sobs as she chokes out the word, smile growing wider. Tentatively, she holds her arms out in front of her, hoping to welcome her mother into a hug. 

“No.” The word is almost inaudible, but Waverly catches it. Michelle’s awe fades into… fear? Waverly’s face falls. Michelle speaks a little more loudly, “Get out. Get out!” The woman spits at Waverly’s feet violently as her voice raises to a loud yell. “Get out! No! Get out! Go!”

Waverly jumps back. Her arms are extended in defense rather than a welcoming embrace now as she tries to calm her mother. “No, it's okay, Mama. It’s me!” 

“GET OUT! GET OUT! NO! GET OUT!” Michelle’s screaming stings Waverly right in the chest. Every demand to leave is a new wound, being torn open over and over again. Nothing could have prepared Waverly for the fear and hurt she feels. 

Still.

She tries. 

“It's me, Mama.”

Michelle won’t hear it. The next declaration that comes makes Waverly’s blood run cold. 

“I'll kill you! I'll kill you!” How could her mother say that to her? Waverly can’t fathom the woman who called her  _ her angel  _ threatening to… Michelle’s handcuffed hands beat against her own head as she avoids looking at Waverly. The guard keeps the woman mostly still, not allowing her to lunge at Waverly each time she tries.

Then, she keeps screaming, “I'll... kill you. Get out! Get out! I'll kill you. I'll kill you!” 

Waverly won’t give up on her mother so easily. She’s obviously… sick. Maybe, if she lets the episode pass… “Mama, it's okay! I won't hurt you!” 

It’s too late, though. The guard pulls his taser and Waverly jumps at him. She reaches for his arm with one of her hands and reaches out for Mama with the other. “No, don't hurt her!

“No!” Michelle screams louder than any other word when Waverly’s hand lands on her arm. “She's unbound! She's loose!” 

The crackling of the electric taser sounds as the guard presses into Michelle’s back right in front of Waverly. Waverly’s arms remain in front of her, desperate to heal or help…  _ Anything.  _

“Kill the demon,” Michelle whispers as her body collapses slowly to the ground.

“Mama…”

The guard speaks next. “You shouldn't have come here.”

“Well, thanks, genius,” Waverly says sarcastically, doing her best to keep her tears at bay. 

“Kill the demon... Kill the demon…” Michelle chants quietly as the guard picks her limp body off of the ground. Waverly watches in horror as her mother is dragged away from her mere moments after seeing her again for the first time. 

Her mother wants to kill her… And thinks she’s a demon. Her mother thinks she’s a demon. Is she a demon? 

The tears flow freely as she stands alone in the middle of Ghost River Institution. 

***

Doc and Wynonna are trying to find ammunition in the basement of Shorty’s. It’s still been weeks since they had an actual conversation, but something seems to have gotten into Doc. The gunslinger has a pep in his step and Wynonna eyes him suspiciously. 

“What’s gotten into you?” Wynonna asks with a raise of her eyebrow. 

“Whatever do you mean?” Doc deflects with a question of his own. 

Shaking her head, she gives the man a small grin. “Fine… You don’t have to tell me. Everyone’s keeping secrets these days…” she says the last part quietly to herself. 

Doc doesn’t miss a beat, walking around and slipping his arms around Wynonna from behind. Wynonna pulls her eyebrows together and slinks out of his embrace. “Put your boner away, we gotta find this ammo so I can get to the station. I’m already muy late.” 

“Since when do you pay any mind to punctuality?” Doc inquires, moving away from the woman to continue his search. 

“Good point,” Wynonna replies shortly. There’s a cloth draped over something large that catches Wynonna’s eye. “Wait-- What’s under--” 

“No! Don’t!” Doc cries out, reaching just a little too late. Wynonna pulls the sheet away to reveal a small wooden cradle. It stops her in her tracks. The wood looks new, just finished. It doesn’t take Wynonna long to figure that Doc must have built it. She cuts her eyes at the man standing at her side now. Swallowing a thick knot, she manages, “It’s adorable… Did you make it?”

“It’s from before you made your decision. I was going to get rid of it when I had a chance.”

Wynonna can only nod. “Yeah.” There’s a heavy pause before she frowns in consideration. “Like I got rid of her.” 

“Wynonna, you sent our daughter away to safety… She would not be safe with us here… With our fight.”

“Yeah, well… Even my dad didn’t take the easy way out with us there, heh,” Wynonna laughs humorlessly. “Maybe I’m more like mommy dearest… Abandon when the going gets tough.” 

Doc takes Wynonna by the shoulders and forces the woman to look up at him. “You are not your mother. And I know… There was  _ nothing _ easy about sending her away.” Doc brings a gentle hand up to the side of Wynonna’s face. 

Wynonna feels so raw. The memories of that perfect baby girl lying beside her on the pool table upstairs always tear away all her defenses and make her feel small and exposed. She looks up at Doc with pleading eyes and leans into the touch. 

The sound of heavy booted footsteps on the stairs pull them out of their moment and Wynonna turns her head to see Nicole standing on the bottom step. Her best friend regards her with a stone cold expression.  _ Shit.  _

Wynonna pushes her hands out to get Doc out of her space, clearing her throat. “Haught… I told you I’d be a little late I--”

“Yeah, you had to find  _ ammo,”  _ Nicole says doubtfully. 

At that, Doc goes off to continue the search.

“I was-- We w-were,” Wynonna says with a confused expression. 

“Interesting thing to call it, I guess…” The officer says flippantly, running her tongue along the inside of her cheek. “Look, Nedley made me come get you. The new city manager is here. He needs you to come save his ass. Tried to tell him that you were comin’, but he wants you there. Now.” 

The tone in Nicole’s voice feels like a knife. Wynonna tilts her head, worrying her bottom lip. Her eyes are still shining with the tears that had threatened to fall just moments ago at the memory of her daughter. Clearing her throat again, she turns to Doc. “You good to search on your own?”

“It appears you are needed elsewhere. I will manage on my own as I always do,” Doc says with the tip of his hat.

“Great. Let’s go.” Nicole doesn’t wait for Wynonna to follow her, turning to take the stairs, two at a time. Wynonna jogs to catch up with her as they walk through the bar. 

“Haught, what’s up?” Wynonna asks when they’re away from the man in the basement. Nicole doesn’t say anything. She wordlessly bursts through the entrance and goes to walk to her cruiser. 

Wynonna catches her by her arm and forces the woman to stop in her tracks. A ringed hand comes up to Nicole’s face and Wynonna forces Nicole to look down at her. “What the fuck?” 

Nicole softens with Wynonna’s hand on her, slouching a moment later. Still, there’s a fire in her eyes and a tightness in her jaw, though. She huffs out a long breath. “Didn’t look like you were looking for shit down there. You were supposed to be at the station hours ago.” 

“We--” Wynonna rolls her lips together and then purses them off to the side. “We were looking and then I-- Doc had a cradle hidden down there. He made it for Alice and it just--” 

Finally, Nicole melts. The mention of the Earp baby would never fail to break through any shit the group was going through. After everything they’d endured for the baby… “Shit, Wyn, I’m sorry I just thought--”

“Thought I was blowing you off to mess around with Doc?” Wynonna asks softly. 

Nicole’s non-answer is all the confirmation Wynonna needs. 

“I’d never blow you off for anyone but Waves. But either damn way… That ship has sailed… I’m done with the hot and cold, no talking for weeks shit. He was just trying to make me feel better because I still wonder if-- Nicole, do you think I took the easy way out? With Alice?”

Nicole laughs in sheer disbelief. “The easy way? Are you kidding? Hell no, Wynonna.” The taller woman reaches out and tucks Wynonna’s hair behind her ear. “I remember when you came to me and asked me to call in the favors… To get everything ready. I remember the way you couldn’t look me in the eye and I remember the way you picked at the cuticles on your nails until they bled. You  _ love  _ Alice.”

Tears finally leak out of the corner of Wynonna’s eyes the more that Nicole speaks. Gentle fingers come up and wipe them away. Nicole looks at her like she’s fragile. Even when she’s vulnerable with Doc or when she had been with Dolls, both men still regarded her as this strong, impenetrable woman. Nicole sees through it all. 

“The weak, easy thing to do would have been to take Alice and run away and raise her like I know you wanted to. The strong, hard thing to do… Was staying and fighting and sending her away from all this shit,” Nicole promises with irrevocable conviction. “You are the strongest woman I’ve ever known, Earp. I’d even say you do shit the hard way more times than you have to… Just to prove you can.”

This brings a soft chuckle out of both of them. 

“C’mere…” Nicole says quietly. She pulls Wynonna into her arms. One wraps securely around Wynonna’s shoulders while the other cradles Wynonna’s head gently. Her fingertips massage into the brunette’s scalp. “I got you, Earp.”

Wynonna sinks into the embrace. Her own arms slide under the police jacket, encircling Nicole’s waist as they stand there. A few moments pass before Wynonna speaks softly, “Aren’t you supposed to be wrangling the mad woman to the station?” 

“They can wait,” Nicole decides. 

Wynonna allows herself to revel in the peace she feels in these short, precious moments. She pulls back, still in strong, safe arms when she looks up at her best friend. There’s the gentlest smile on the redheads lips. Her fingers still work the back of Wynonna’s head carefully. 

This feels way better than the comfort Doc had been trying to offer her. He did as well as he could, but there’s nothing quite like the comfort Nicole can bring her. Wynonna considers speaking these thoughts aloud for a fleeting moment. Instead, she forces herself away from her best friend and releases a long breath. 

“Alright, take me to Nedley before he has your ass, too, instead of just mine,” Wynonna turns to walk towards the cruiser, but a hand stops her and pulls her back to face Nicole. 

“I’m really sorry I was an asshole about--” 

“We’re square, Nic. I get it,” Wynonna offers. 

_ No, I don’t think you do,  _ Nicole thinks. 

“Okay… I’m still so--”

“No more sorries, Haughtpants. Let’s go get shit taken care of like we always do.”

***

The new city manager can suck several dicks as far as Wynonna’s concerned, but the thing that pisses her off the most is Nedley’s lack of balls. It especially pisses her off when she considers the officer sitting out at a table doing some stupid paperwork. 

“Well maybe then you should just step aside, you know?” Wynonna raises from the chair in the sheriff’s office. She walks to the window where she can see her best friend hard at work. “Let someone else have a turn. Someone who’s still got some fight left.” 

It’s at that exact moment that Waverly comes rushing into the station. Wynonna’s gaze settles on her past Nicole. Her sister stops for only a second to look at her through the window. Immediately, Wynonna knows that somethings wrong. 

“Uh oh. Sad Waverly…” Wynonna says mostly to herself and takes off after her sister, leaving a tired Nedley to his own devices. 

***

Waverly tears through the boxes with her mother’s name on them recklessly. There’s got to be an explanation somewhere here. Her mother couldn’t really want to kill her or think that she’s a demon, could she? She  _ couldn’t _ . 

“Hey, what’s going on?” Wynonna’s voice comes from behind her. “Where have you been? I tried to call like a million times.” 

“I went to see Mama,” Waverly answers honestly, continuing her mission of finding what they’ve done to their mother. 

“You-- Alone? Waverly…”

Waverly can’t be bothered with the judgment. She’s on the brink of tears again as she wonders aloud, “What have they given her? I mean, maybe… maybe, it’s her medication or--” 

“Hey, stop. Stop! Stop!” Wynonna reaches out and shakes her younger sister, trying to jolt her back to reality. 

“No.” Waverly manages. 

“Stop!” Wynonna shouts again. “Stop. Stop.” Finally, Waverly lets her older sister turn her around and take her by the shoulders. She carefully moves Waverly’s hair out of her face and looks on with sympathetic blue eyes. 

Sighing, Wynonna continues, “It’s my fault. I should’ve never kept that promise… I should have told you--”

“No…” Waverly begins. “You-- You were right, Wynonna. I shouldn’t have--”

“Why? What happened?” Wynonna prods softly. 

It’s hard and heavy to force out, but Waverly can’t keep any more secrets than the one that she absolutely has to. “She wants to kill me.” 

“Okay, of course she doesn’t,” Wynonna dismisses with a short laugh. 

“No, no, she--” Waverly inhales sharply. “She  _ tried _ to kill me.” 

The shift is instant, but subtle. Wynonna hardens. Her eyes gloss over, then cut to the ground to avoid looking at her baby sister’s distraught face. Without even a sound, Wynonna turns away. 

“Where are you going?” Waverly asks. 

“To end this shit.” 

“What?”

***

Hours pass and Nicole checks her phone for the thousandth time. Over the last few hours, she’s sent multiple texts and called multiple times. She re-reads what she’s sent.

**Nicole:** _ Earp, check in.  _ _   
_ **N:** _ Wynonna, shit, I know something happened with your mom. Waves told me but please fucking call me back. _ _   
_ **N:** _ If you don’t answer soon, I’m coming to fucking get you again.  _

The officer sighs heavily. “C’mon, Earp… C’mon…” 

***

There’s a sinking feeling in Waverly’s chest when she pulls up to the homestead and no one else’s car is there. She’s only barely stopped crying, but knowing that she’ll be alone makes her bottom lip begin to tremble some more. 

_ Can’t Help Falling In Love  _ by Elvis continues to play quietly until Waverly opens up her door and hops out. The night air is cold, but Waverly isn’t sure that’s the only reason she’s shivering. The youngest Earp wraps her arms around herself as she walks around the Jeep and opens up the passenger door, collecting the box of records and tapes Nedley let her bring home. 

After Wynonna left, Nedley took Waverly into his office and explained all he knew about their mother and her arrest. It made things more clear and more confusing at the same time. Finding out that the reason Michelle had been arrested in the first place was because she tried to burn down the barn with six year old Waverly in it was  _ a lot _ to swallow. 

As she makes her way inside, Waverly can’t stop imagining how it would be if Rosita could just be with her. It’s impossible and she shouldn’t even be indulging the idea, but she can’t help it. 

Rosita would carry the heavy box with one arm and open the door for her with the other. She’d bring her inside and make her some tea while she changed clothes. Waverly imagines Rosita kissing her head and sitting with her by the fire. Holding her hand while they listen to the tapes, trying to find any possible answers about why her mother hates her so much. 

Rosita’s hands and voice and presence would soothe every fear and ache inside her body. She doesn’t know how she’s able to be so confident about that, but she is. 

Waverly guesses that she could get back in her car and drive to Rosita’s, but her eyes and head hurt from crying and the thought of not being here when Wynonna gets home feels so wrong. She owes her big sister such a fucking big apology. Wynonna was right. Wynonna was only trying to do what was best for her, just like always, and she’d ruined it. 

Instead, Waverly drops the box on the coffee table and starts the fire herself. She puts on the tea and goes upstairs to change into her pajamas, pulling up her hair and taking off her ruined makeup. Imagining Rosita beside her helps her get through it. 

When she comes back downstairs, Waverly pours her cup and takes her mug into the living room, curling up in her favorite chair beside the fire. She pulls the heavy blanket from the back of it down and over herself, sighing as she settles into the comfort of it. 

It would be more comforting if she didn’t feel so bone-achingly lonely. If she wasn’t longing for just one person. 

The tiny woman pulls her phone out of her robe pocket and calls her sister’s number one more time, leaving yet another message even though the phone is dead. Wynonna will plug it up when she’s back in her truck, hopefully. 

Waverly reads the texts she has waiting from Nicole first. 

**Nicole:** _Make it home okay?_   
**N:** _I’ll let you know when I hear something from Wynonna or if you do first you let me know okay? Just wanna know she’s okay._   
**N:** _I know today has been tough. I’m still at work but here if you need me. I’ll stop by after if i still haven’t heard anything? I love you Waves._

Waverly sighs, feeling a small bit of relief from her ex-girlfriend. Nicole has always made her feel safe and cared for, the way that a friend should. She understands why now that they aren’t together anymore... now that they’re getting the chance to be friends, that it was always supposed to be like this. 

**Waverly:** _ Yeah, I just got here and settled. I’ll let you know for sure. That sounds good. Thank you Nic I love you too.  _ ****

Waverly immediately goes to look at her texts from Rosita next. 

**Rosita:** _ Hey angel, things go okay with your mom?  _ _   
_ **R:** _ I hope everything is going well. I can’t wait to hear about it Waves <3  _

Waverly smiles for the first time since her world had fallen apart earlier in the day. The nickname, she decides, doesn’t matter coming from anyone but Rosita. When Rosie says it, she feels like she really could grow wings. 

She doesn’t bother texting back, she just decides to Facetime instead. Waverly doesn’t know why she feels so nervous. She’d called Rosita a bunch of times and been face to face with her even more, so why does doing this type of call for the first time make her feel so jittery? If Rosita even answers… 

Of course, she does. After the second or third ring, just like always. Waverly immediately settles into the chair when Rosita’s smile is on her screen. She’s wearing a white sweatshirt and her hair is down… She looks so perfect that it takes Waverly’s breath. 

“This is new…” Rosita chuckles, adjusting the angle of the phone as she takes in the sight of Waverly. She looks adorable all snuggled in the chair, the firelight flickering on her face. She also looks sad. It makes Rosita’s entire body ache to hold her, to kiss her. 

“What’s wrong, Waves?” 

“I just – I wanted to see you.”

“I mean… I’m really glad. I always wanna see you.” The admission comes out softer than she realizes. 

“I would’ve just come over but today was…” Waverly shakes her head, her jaw clenching as she tries not to cry again. How she even has any tears left, she doesn’t know. 

“Hey, that’s okay. Do you wanna talk about it?” 

Waverly nods, taking a deep breath and adjusting in the chair. She looks down at the tape player on the table and bites her lip. 

“Things didn’t go well with my mom. Like not even a little.” Waverly’s eyes go back to Rosita on the screen and the way she’s sitting… with her chin resting on her hand, looking intently at the screen makes Waverly tingle. 

Rosita is giving her every ounce of her attention and care, she wants to know what she has to say. She wants to help. 

Waverly gets right into it. She tells the older woman everything she knows, everything that happened. Rosita listens the entire time, nodding when she needs to to let Waverly know she’s still paying attention. By the end of the explanation, Waverly’s wiping away tears again. 

Seeing her cry rips Rosita apart. Every. Single. Time. She’d do anything just to be there right now, holding Waverly in her arms. Just to have her in her arms would be enough, she thinks. 

“Rosie, can I –– is it okay if I turn on the tapes and listen and will – will you listen with me? Just be here with me while I do?” Waverly asks, her voice shaking a little as she does. She knows Rosita won’t say no, but she wants to ask. 

“Of course, angel. Anything.” Rosita’s voice is so fucking gentle and reverent. Waverly feels it soothing her through and through. 

Waverly’s eyes linger on the woman for a moment and she lets out a deep, shaking sigh. 

“What?” 

“Nothing, I – I just am really glad you’re here. I wish – I wish you really were.” Waverly admits, running her finger along the side of the phone and wishing she was touching Rosita’s warm skin. 

Rosita lets out a shaky breath next, doing her best to smile for Waverly. Her eyes shine and she looks like she wants to cry. “You don’t know how much I wish I could be, Waves.” 

Waverly’s lips turn up softly in the smallest of smiles. _ I know _ .  _ God, do I know _ , she thinks. 

The Earp woman sets down her phone for a moment to get the tape player going and picks it up again when she’s curled in her chair once more. The recording starts and Waverly feels jittery again. Her mother’s voice fills the room and she wishes she could reach out and lace her fingers with Rosita’s. 

_ “Have you seen the cardinals in the courtyard? They’re building a nest. Isn’t it lovely?”  _

Waverly furrows her brows and looks to Rosita, who just pulls her lips to the side and shakes her head. Michelle keeps talking about birds. Birds who are building a family and how wonderful it is. 

_ “Do you miss them? Your own family?” _ The therapist asks. The question makes bile rise in Waverly’s throat. She already knows what the answer will be. 

Rosita doesn’t miss the expression change on Waverly’s face. She longs to smooth out the wrinkle between Waverly’s eyebrows. 

_ “I like it here. I don’t want to cause them any more trouble. And, hey, you all promised. You promised. You’re never gonna contact my girls. That’s a very, very important promise to me. Very important.” _

_ “Of course.”  _

Waverly sighs, rubbing her forehead.  _ Why? What had she done? _

“Waves…” Rosita’s voice cuts through to her and she shakes her head.    
  
“I just don’t understand… What made my own mother hate me  _ so _ much? What did I  _ do _ ?” 

“You were six. You were a  _ baby _ . You didn’t  _ do _ anything.” 

“There must have been something! Something so awful that it made her think I was a  _ demon _ .” The words just spill out and Waverly only realizes once it’s too late. Waverly feels all the blood drain from her face and she opens her mouth but no sounds come out. 

“Waverly, it’s –” 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean... I didn’t mean it like that, Rosie, I ––” Waverly can feel tears welling up in her eyes and her heart is hammering. How could she be so insensitive? 

“Seriously, Wave, it’s ––” The sound of the door opening makes Waverly jump, turning her attention away from the phone to see who it is. 

Her pounding pulse soothes when she sees that it’s just Doc. She closes her eyes and lets out a long breath. “ _ Henry _ …” 

Rosita breathes, too. Relief spreading through her body. The fear of being caught again burns in a way she hates. More than anything, she wishes she could give Waverly the peace of not having to keep her secret. But she’s  _ terrified _ . 

“Call me back later, okay? If you want to.” Rosita says softly. 

“Yeah, I will.” Waverly breathes, biting her bottom lip. Rosita is so forgiving, so kind… even after that stupid slip, she wants to talk to her later. Waverly could never,  _ ever _ deserve this woman. 

“Bye, Waves.” Rosie smiles, ending the call after Waverly says ‘bye’. 

Doc barely regards Waverly or the fact that she was ever on the phone. He goes right to the bottles of alcohol stacked nearby and picks up a nearly empty bottle of whisky. 

“Whisky? The good whisky?” Doc shakes the bottle towards her. 

“I -– uh, there’s some in the barn? I’ll go get it.” 

“No, it’s cold out there. You’re not dressed.” Doc motions to the blanket and the robe hanging half off Waverly’s shoulder. 

She shakes her head, pulling the cover off herself and standing up. She crosses her arms over her chest and looks up at him, finding a wild look in his eyes. He’s already been drinking, that much is obvious. He smells like alcohol and the woods. 

“Well, you look like you’ve seen a ghost. What’s wrong?” Waverly reaches up to touch his face and finds him cold. “Sit. Get warm.” 

Doc doesn’t try to argue further, he takes the empty seat next to Waverly’s and finishes off the bottle he’s holding. “Nothin’ you need to worry yourself over, darlin’. I will need to talk with Wynonna when she returns.” 

“Whatever you say. I’m glad you’re safe.” Waverly sighs, feeling too exhausted to try and pull more answers out of him right now. 

The door opens again, turning both of their heads toward it. Nicole is standing there in her uniform, looking less disheveled than Doc had, but not by much. 

“Hey. Sorry for busting in, I just -–” 

“Yeah, I still haven’t heard from her, so…” Waverly shrugs, walking past Nicole. 

“Where are you goin’?” 

“The barn. More whisky.” Waverly says simply, pointing towards Doc and raising an eyebrow. 

Nicole just nods, taking a deep breath and stepping closer to the fire. She pulls her phone from her pocket and checks it again, only to find nothing. 

Waverly tightens her robe around herself and slips into the boots she leaves by the door before heading outside. 

***

The thin snow crunches under her feet and the air nips at her skin through the fabric of her pajamas. Even though she hates being too cold, right now it feels almost good. It makes her feel alert and her mind feel clear.  _ Everyone _ seems to be struggling. 

She steps into the barn and kneels down to find the right bottle of whisky to take back into the house when a sound from deeper inside the structure alerts her. Waverly feels numb when she turns to find her mom in the barn with her. 

“Mama?” Waverly’s voice sounds weak, terrified. 

Michelle is kneeling in front of a pentagram made from wood and lighting the final few candles around it. Waverly feels like she could throw up. Seeing fire in the hands of this woman, in this  _ place _ makes her start to sweat. 

“Get away.” Michelle’s voice is harsh, biting. 

“What are you doing?!” 

“The demon! Waverly! Get away! Go!” The harshness is more urgent now. Michelle looks wild. Depraved. “Now!” 

“No!” Waverly screams back, clenching her fists by her sides. She’s tired of this, tired of being too scared. “Mama, please… just calm down, okay?” She tries to reason, tries to keep her voice even. 

The look on her mother’s face makes her stomach hurt. The fact that she seems to be looking at her makes it even worse. So much worse than before. 

“It’s too late. The demon’s here.” 

“What? Is it… is it me?” Waverly’s voice breaks. 

Michelle reaches beside her and lifts Peacemaker, pointing it over Waverly’s head. Seeing that gun in her mother’s hands… knowing that wherever Wynonna is she  _ doesn’t  _ have it… Oh, god, she’s gonna be sick. 

“No, sweetheart. But she came for you.” Michelle looks just as scared as Waverly feels. She turns on her heel, terror creeping up in her chest. She needs to look, needs to know what her mother is aiming at. 

When Waverly sees what’s standing behind her, all she can do is scream. 

*** 

Wynonna knows she’s driving way too fast, especially in the snow but she doesn’t give a single fuck. She swerves the stolen car into the driveway of the homestead and pulls up as close as she can. She barely cuts it off before she jumps out. 

“Waverly! Waves!” Wynonna yells, stumbling up the steps and into the house. Surprisingly, she’s met with everyone sitting around the dining room table, smiling at her. Waverly, Doc, Nicole… they’re all there. 

“Uhhhh…” Wynonna shakes her head, eyebrows pulling together at the outrageous amount of sweets covering the table. They’re all eating a cupcake already. “You’re – you’re all here.” 

“Of course! It’s the place to be!” Doc grins, weirding Wynonna out even more. 

“W-where’s mama? Have you seen her?” Wynonna asks, mostly to Waverly. 

“Not to worry,” Another voice cuts through and takes Wynonna’s attention. “We have mama locked up in the barn until we can decide what else to do with her.” 

Wynonna cuts her eyes at the strange woman. She’s pretty, her dark hair is tied up and she’s wearing one of their mama’s old aprons and holding even more desserts. Wynonna doesn’t recognize her. 

“We?” 

“Mama came back.” Waverly begins to explain. 

“She attacked Waverly.” Nicole adds. 

“Oh my god…” Wynonna breathes, feeling the wind leave her. She could’ve been too late, their mama could’ve… 

“But Jolene showed up just in time!” Waverly adds, looking up at the mystery woman who is grinning back at her.

“Jolene… Jolene?” Wynonna thinks this must be some kind of joke. They’d just watched an old Dolly Parton movie and now Waverly had a friend named Jolene that she’d never met before? She gets a glimpse of Peacemaker sitting on the counter behind the woman and her palm itches to reach for it. 

“Waverly, is this who you’ve…” 

“Now, you best be prepared to do a lot of squats, ‘cause I made your favorite!” Jolene cuts Wynonna off, shoving a brownie into her mouth. 

Wynonna has no choice but to chew. When she does, it’s like she… starts forgetting what she’d been so upset about. A strange kind of bliss fills her and she just wants more of it. 

“Back the truck up… that is… more please!” Wynonna begs, looking at Jolene. 

Jolene grins, narrowing her eyes a bit at the Heir before turning to look at the rest of the gang gathered around the table. “Well, if that demon’s coming like your mama says, we’ve gotta keep your strength up.” 

“There’s a demon coming?” 

“Yes, Wynonna. There’s a demon coming. And it’s going to kill Waverly.” Jolene’s smile never wavers. 

“Oh!” Wynonna looks at her sister in surprise. 

“I know!” Waverly pouts back at her. 

“But of course, you can stop it. I just know it.” Jolene adds, her tone intense and her eyes hard on Wynonna. 

Wynonna grins, her eyes softening as she moves to slink her arm around the shorter, dark haired woman. “Know what? You’re always here for us, Jolene.” Wynonna doesn’t know why she says it, but it just feels right. It feels like the right thing. “What would we do without you?” 

“Oh, I bet you’d all just die! All just die!” Jolene laughs, igniting a roar of laughter from everyone. They laugh and talk and eat and eat and  _ eat. _

*** 

Rosita lays in bed on her stomach, cradling her pillow. Her phone is plugged in and set up against the pillow Waverly had slept on when she spent the night. It’s almost 3AM.  _ Hours _ have passed since they talked and Rosita feels like she should’ve called by now. At least texted and said she wasn’t going to. Something. 

_ Maybe she’s still busy, still talking with Doc… Maybe Wynonna came home. Maybe she didn’t.  _

So many thoughts run through Rosita’s head. With the Earps, it could be anything at any time. She hopes, prays that it isn’t anything bad. 

The revenant takes a deep breath and makes sure her phone’s ringer is turned up, so that she’ll hear it when Waverly calls. Rosie lays in the quiet darkness of her room and imagines that the pillow she’s cuddled into is Waverly’s body. 


	10. jolene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jolene. Enough said.

“She's secure, Wynonna!” Waverly shouts as she watches her oldest sister continue to wrap their mother up with rope. Despite what had happened hours ago, Waverly hates seeing her mother being treated like this--especially by her older sister

“One of you is gonna listen! Either one, I don't give a shit which!” Michelle screams, struggling against the ropes around her.

Wynonna ignores her. “Did she steal your gun and go full prison break on you?” Wynonna looks to her baby sister expectantly. When she gets no reply, the eldest sighs and continues, “Go inside if you're not gonna help.”

“What? No, Waverly, don't go! Don't let her be alone!” Michelle cries.

“She has friends in the house,  _ Mama _ …” Wynonna bites the word venomously. “...who didn't try to murder her multiple times.”

“No, please don't go!” Michelle begs. 

“Go in the fucking house, Waverly.  _ Now,”  _ Wynonna commands. 

Waverly looks between the remaining women she has in her family. One of them has cared for her her entire life… the other… Bailed on them when she was six and just tried to kill her. She looks to her sister last, defeated and sad, before turning to exit the barn. 

Michelle watches in dismay as her youngest walks away from the safety of the barn and  _ Wynonna.  _ She turns to her remaining daughter and shoots daggers through her. “You know what? You're gonna listen for two goddamn minutes. You owe me that, no matter what you think I am.”

“You get one,” Wynonna explains coldly. 

***

Wynonna scrubs at the dishes over and over, trying to scrub away every single stressful thing that has unfolded on them lately. Jolene stands behind her, preparing her pastries and baked goods the way she always does. They exist in comfortable silence as they have so many times before. 

The door flies open and Wynonna sighs when she sees Doc walk in. 

“I just encountered  _ the  _ bossiest woman in the barn itching for a drink…” he comments casually. His eyes fall on Jolene suspiciously. He’s more concerned with Wynonna. 

“You think I’m a monster for tying up my own mother?” Wynonna grumbles. 

“I did not say that… The relation… is evident, though,” he comments, taking his place at her side. He casts a glance back at Jolene who smiles warmly at him. Wynonna doesn’t seem troubled by her presence, so he tries to behave the same. 

“The wardens or guards or whatever the shit will be here soon. I don’t know whether to let them have her or soak the barn in kerosene and give that bitch a taste of her own medicine for what she did to Waverly…  _ Multiple times.”  _ Wynonna rambles on. Doc nor Jolene comment, so she continues. “She keeps saying there’s a demon after Waverly… That it’s already here.”

“Well, she did spend 20 years in a mental institution for being... mental,” Jolene finally chimes in. 

The uneasy feeling in Doc’s chest settles deep in his bones. He narrows his eyes at the intruder once more. 

“Excellent point. Thank you!” Wynonna responds warmly. 

Doc looks to Wynonna and then back to Jolene. He steps to the newcomer. “I beg your pardon?” 

“Oh, I baked your fave. Snickerdoodles!” Jolene shoves a cookie into his mouth before he can stop her. The memories come rushing back.  _ Jolene. Of course.  _

“Well! I’ll leave you two to wrangle Mama! I’m going to go keep watch for those pesky wardens!” Jolene says brightly. 

Doc and Wynonna watch fondly as the woman walks off. 

***

Waverly stands in front of her mother. “Mama… I want to believe you. I really do, but there was no demon here last night. You were just… waving Peacemaker at me.” 

“Listen to me. You were three months old. And you were wailing your little baby lungs out in the middle of the night. Blood-curdling screams from my beautiful baby girl. When I came to check on you, something was there. Floating above your crib. I came at it with a poker and it left.”

The youngest Earp feels her blood run cold. The thought of something haunting her, hunting her, as young as three months old… How long had these demons been after her? She swallows the knot in her throat. “It was probably a nightmare. You were dreaming a-and you were disoriented--”

“Why would the dream show up in every photograph of you? Terrible, a horror!” Michelle is more than convincing with how sincerely she recounts her experience with this demon. 

“Can you show me the pictures?” Waverly offers, trying to give the benefit of the doubt. 

“No, because I was terrified and ripped all of them up. I hoped that would fix it somehow. It didn’t,” Michelle speaks frantically. “Go get Wynonna out here! Now! We need her! And that gun!” 

It hurts. It still hurts that Mama only wants Wynonna around. All these years, she’s seen Wynonna so many times… and Waverly none. Still, all Mama can think about is this supposed demon. She doesn’t even think Waverly can fend for herself. Honestly? Can she? Waverly goes to walk away, processing all of the things Mama’s just dropped on her. 

Something unlocks. 

“Kindergarten…” she whispers just before she reaches the door. “At Kindergarten… I wouldn’t-- Wouldn’t sit next to the storytime mirror because of the  _ thing  _ behind me....” She closes her eyes and tries to put herself into her five-year-old self’s body. “Teeth. I see teeth. Rows and rows of angry… teeth.” 

“You saw it…” Michelle gasps, letting the mug in her hands slip and break on the ground beneath her. “This thing hates you. It hates you more than I thought anything could hate anyone. And I'm so tired. I'm so tired from fighting it.

Waverly crouches down in front of Michelle and reaches out to take her mother’s restrained hands in hers. “If something's coming, you have me now. Wynonna... and Jolene.” Waverly tries to reassure her mother. 

“Who the hell is Jolene?” 

Before Waverly can answer, Wynonna and Doc enter the barn. 

“Oh, thank god! You’re here! Waverly, tell Wynonna. Tell her you saw it!” Michelle urges. 

Waverly stands and walks over to her sister. “I remember… When I was little. There was something… Before mama left, there was a scary…  _ something  _ always around, but I thought I was seeing things.”

“Baby girl… Are you sure?” Wynonna speaks so carefully. 

“Yes, ‘Nonna. I’m sure. I’m-- I’m sure. We can… untie Mama. She can help us.” 

Wynonna looks back to the woman tied to the ladder then back to Waverly. She searches for any uncertainty and finds none. “Fine.” 

Wynonna and Waverly work together to free the woman from the ties that bind her. The Gibson woman stands in front of her daughters and Doc. Her eyes fall on the man and he eyes him distrustingly. 

“John Henry Holliday, ma’am,” he introduces himself with an extended hand. “I’m--”

“An undead relic from the Old West…” A moment later, she shrugs. “Sure… Why not?” Her eyes fall on her eldest. “Is he your boyfriend?”

“Absolutely not,” Wynonna responds sharply. Doc turns to look at her with the slightest bit of hurt in his eyes. Waverly raises her eyebrows at the interaction. It’s the first time she’s heard aloud that the two of them are… done? Are they done? Or…

“Both your girls are marvelously single! Right, Waves?” 

“Huh? Oh! Right! Nicole and I broke up a little while ago…” Waverly offers, trying to take Wynonna out of the hot seat. 

“Nicole? You’re… a lesbian?” 

“Well… Bisexual, I think, but…” 

“I would love to talk about this later… If we’re not dead.”

“Oh! I would never let that happen!” Jolene announces upon her entry into the barn. Michelle’s suspicion falls on the dark-haired woman now. “Don't you remember me, Michelle?

“You... you smell familiar…” Michelle feels like she might vomit at the aroma invading her senses. She opens her mouth to protest further, but a sweet  _ something  _ is shoved into her mouth and she bites down. All her worries disappear.

“Mama!” Waverly interjects cutely. “This is Jolene. My friend? Since forever?”

“Oh, Mama hasn't been here since forever. No, she abandoned--”

“No, I didn't!” Michelle sounds downright offended.

“She left three young girls alone with their alcoholic father…” Jolene declares too brightly. 

“No, no, that was because of the demon!” Mama Earp defends herself before shaking her head. “Jolene. We don't have time to talk about this right now. It's coming, it's strong, and all it wants is Waverly.”

“We better take care of it then, shall we?” Jolene asks.

“The Gibson greenhouse. The family farm. It's where Waverly was born. I'm gonna summon it. I'll bind it to me. Again,” Michelle decides.

***

Jolene approaches Doc after he storms out of the barn. 

“I will see you at the Gibson place!” Doc stomps heavy footsteps into the hard snow on his way to his car. 

“Oh, I’ve got too much to do! I’m not going… You shouldn’t either…” she warns. 

“The Earps need me. I will be there.” 

Jolene tilts her head sympathetically. “This family reunion… Is a little charged, hmm?” 

“We are fighting a demon. I will keep my counsel.”

“Wynonna… Doesn’t want you there. She’s moved on… and honestly, haven’t you?” 

Doc tilts his head in confusion. “She’s moved on?” 

“Well, yeah! What did you expect with the way you bounce her around like a rubber ball!  _ And  _ sneak off for secret rendezvous with your wife, hmm? No wonder the moment that tall, strong redhead was available, she’d hop right on it!” 

“Officer Haught…?” 

“C’mon, Henry! Open your eyes. Hmm… you really don’t pay attention to Wynonna at all anymore, do you? Anyways! Probably best if you leave Wynonna without having to worry about you being all mopey over her when you have no right to be! Toodles!” 

***

The Gibson greenhouse is beautiful. Wavelry remembers coming here when she was little and when she didn’t have Wynonna anymore because Gus put the older sister into foster care, but kept her. She would come here and pretend that Wynonna was with her, talk to her like she was. It brings back so many memories. 

“There's a door here and there's doors there and there's a skylight. This one, it could be an entry point,” Michele is all business as she makes her way through the greenhouse. 

“Mama, can we talk?” Waverly asks. 

“Sorry, ain't that what we've been doin'?” 

“About my real dad.”

Michelle pauses at a statue and looks up at it reverently. It’s an angel that Waverly’s too familiar with. “His... name was Julian.”

“Who was he?” 

“He was someone better. I ran here every time I could escape. And somehow he knew how to follow…”

“Where is he? Where did he go?”

“OK, later. None of it's gonna matter if we can't save his daughter.” 

Michelle takes off outside. She’s out there for what feels like  _ forever. _ If they’re meant to be summoning a demon, neither Waverly nor Wynonna know what the fuck to do. 

“Wait, where's Mama?” Waverly begs when her arms start to tingle with worry. 

“On top of everything else we need to be an adult day-care centre?” Wynonna hollers loud enough for their mother to hear them. 

“I'm outside! But we gotta get the son of a bitch here!”

On fucking cue, the ugly, terrible warden from the institute comes barging in through the doors. He shoves Wynonna to the ground before either of the women can register his presence. Thick black liquid stains his lips and his chin.  _ Blood.  _ When he starts to moan and groan, it’s obvious someone has taken his tongue.  _ What the fuck?  _

Waverly tries to cock the shotgun in her hands, but she fumbles, unprepared.

A rope virtually materializes around his throat and pulls him to the ground. The sight of Michelle holding the rope is the next sight Waverly finds. Her mother gloats, “First in barrel racing, but my second act was roping. Back off, demon!”

“I thought you cut off his head!?” Waverly squeals.

“Grew back, ugly revenant style… But this time I brought the demon breaker. Make your peace. Through mime, if necessary.”

“Oh my god. We did it. We... We did it. We did it!” Mama rejoices over and over, chanting the words like prayers. Both of her girls are pulled against her sides and she holds them close. The Earp sisters grin like children, back in the safety of their mother’s loving arms. 

“He'll never hurt us again, Mama.” Waverly swears. 

Mama collapses to her knees, still clinging to the hands of her precious daughters. “He's gone. Christ, I almost didn't think I was gonna get here without me being dead or…”

_ Waverly… Waverly…  _ The voice permeates Waverly’s mind. Mama nor Wynonna seem to hear it. It calls her… Pulls her. Her feet move on their own towards the beckoning. A queasy feeling settles in her stomach. She leaves Mama and Wynonna huddled on the floor, exiting the greenhouse to see...

“Jolene? What are you doing here?”

Jolene holds her hand out to Waverly enticingly. “Your mother set a trap for me.” 

Waverly contemplates taking the extended hand for several long moments. Something is screaming for her  _ not to,  _ but Jolene needs her help… Right? She takes it. When she blinks, she opens her eyes to find herself in Jolene’s grasp, with the woman’s hand around her neck.

“You can't make this easy, can you, you selfish, greedy tumour. You have taken everything from me.” Waverly doesn’t even see the change happen. All she knows is a monstrous demon with  _ teeth, so many teeth,  _ is standing where her friend Jolene used to stand. “But you are gonna pay it back. You'll have to do it yourself but we can make that happen.”

A loud scream rips through Waverly just before she brings the butt of her shotgun up to knock the demon in the head away from her.  _ Oh god.  _ Jolene reappears.

“Wynonna! Mama!” Jolene sobs, crouched on the ground and gripping her face gingerly

“Jolene? Jolene? God, are you OK?” Mama runs to tend to Jolene’s injuries before Waverly can speak for herself. 

“I just came to bring a picnic,” Jolene whines.

“She grabbed me…” Waverly tries to defend, but Jolene jumps in again.

“Don't be mad at her, she's confused and we're all under so much stress!”

Wynonna gives her sister a glare of contempt. “Waverly, what the hell is wrong with you?”

***

Everyone is upset with Waverly, but Jolene had insisted she still come to their celebration ‘in her honor.’ The demon is gone! The one that caused Mama to leave them so many years ago, the one that hunted and stalked Waverly as a baby… That demon is dead, and that is means to celebrate. Waverly wants nothing more than to drive to Rosita’s place and curl up in the woman’s arms. But she can’t. Not with Mama… With Jolene… 

Waverly lags behind Mama, Jolene, and Wynonna as they happily burst their way into Shorty’s. She takes her place on the opposite side of the bar from Wynonna and Mama, desperate to keep her distance from the other women in her family who can’t stand her currently.

Jolene leaves her without a word and joins Wynonna and Michelle with a plate of baked goods. Neither women take one, and she begins to panic. She needs…  _ something.  _ Her Hail Mary.

“It’s too bad Rosita can’t come tonight! Waverly would really have loved that,” Jolene says casually to Wynonna and Michelle. 

Wynonna goes rigid. “What did you just say?”

“Rosita! Y’know, Waverly’s been spending so much time with her lately. Pretty much falling asleep on the phone with her every night since you two have been… fighting.” Jolene drops this bomb on Wynonna like she’s just told her the weather forecast for the day. 

“Who is  _ Rosita?”  _ Michelle inquires. 

“Oh, that’s right! You were busy being locked up. Rosita is the revenant that tried to steal Wynonna’s baby! Oh! And Waverly cheated on Nicole with her. Not to mention the whole being Doc’s girlfriend thing through Wynonna’s pregnancy…  _ Yikes.  _ Talk about a messy history.” 

Michelle eyes her daughter carefully. Wynonna feels her jaw begin to ache with how tightly she’s biting down on her own teeth. The mystery person… that Waverly’s been sneaking away to see is fucking Rosita. Rosita Fucking Bustillos who tried to take Alice and  _ sell her  _ to the highest bidder. 

“You really didn’t know? I’m shocked! Doc told me when he tracked Rosita down to her place, she was very apologetic…” 

“Doc knew?!” Wynonna finally manages to shout. “Who else?! Who else knew she’s back?”

Jolene shrugs. “Just me, I guess. Y’know come to think of it, I guess Doc’s been too busy with his wife.”

“His  _ what?”  _ Wynonna can’t keep up with this. So many secrets kept from her. 

“Kate… Little Miss Fortune over there making herself at home in our bar… Guess she has every right considering…” 

Wynonna pushes herself away from the bar and heads to the restroom. Michelle and Jolene follow her until she disappears through the door. 

“I guess I should go talk to her,” Jolene says, sounding concerned. 

“Yeah, and  _ I’ll  _ drink for her!” Michelle declares, grabbing the whiskey glass Wynonna left behind and knocking it back. 

***

“Wynonna? It’s me,” Jolene beckons sweetly. 

A groan sounds from the stall. “How the fuck am I supposed to keep my stupid family safe when none of them tell me the goddamned truth? Waverly is fucking hanging out with number one on my hitlist.” 

“Well, is she really number one on your hitlist? You haven’t really thought about her since then, have you?” 

Wynonna pauses. She absolutely hates that Jolene is right. Wynonna hasn’t given much thought to the revenant she had sworn to hunt until she found her and killed her. She’d all but forgotten about her until Jolene said her name. 

There’s guilt in her gut, too. Guilt that she knows she’ll never be able to rid herself of if she doesn’t actually  _ talk  _ to Rosita. The memory of pulling Peacemaker on the revenant at the bar returns to her mind. Rosita’s pitiful face and tear-filled eyes manifest clearly. Maybe if Wynonna had just given the revenant a chance, she wouldn’t have… 

_ No.  _ Rosita destroyed her chance with Wynonna when she knocked Waverly out and tried to take Alice. “So what if I have a million and two things to worry about? She’s back on my priority list now.” 

“Oh, ‘Nonna, I don’t know about all that… Waverly would really be heartbroken.”

“Tough shit,” Wynonna spits, emerging from the stall. “And stupid, sexy vampire Kate… Big nose?! Big nose where? Her nose is perfect. So is she…” 

Jolene tilts her head. “You’re not still hung up on Doc, are you? I thought you had moved on… To… redder pastures.” 

Wynonna zeroes in on her friend. She hadn’t even admitted her feelings to herself, much less to anyone else.  _ How does Jolene know about my feelings for Nicole? I barely know about my feelings for Nicole. Does Nicole know? Oh fuck.  _

“Don’t worry, ‘Nonna! It’s our little secret! After all, Waverly knew about Kate  _ and  _ Rosita. The least I can do is keep this one little thing from Waverly.” 

“Waverly knew about Kate, too? Does everyone around here know everything except for fucking me?” 

The door to the bathroom swings open a moment later and the tall redhead police officer comes walking in, worry evident in the wrinkle between her eyebrows. “Wyn, what’s wrong? Your mom said you got some  _ upsetting news _ .” 

“I’ll let you gal pals have a chat!” Jolene says, holding up a brownie to Wynonna’s lips. On her way out, she pops one into Nicole’s mouth as well. 

Wynonna and Nicole finish their bites of delicious baked goodness before Wynonna takes a step toward her best friend. “Did you know who Waves was keeping a secret?!” Wynona can’t help but sound accusatory after learning Doc and Waverly have apparently been in cahoots over  _ everything.  _

“What? No! Why would I? Wait, is that-- Who is it?” Nicole asks. 

Wynonna laughs humorlessly. “Fucking Rosita, that’s who.” 

Nicole flinches. The ex-bartender is a sore spot for Nicole for a multitude of reasons. The most important being what she did to Wynonna and Waverly right before her departure. It still hurts that Waverly kissed her in a hot tub, just to hurt her… Or maybe… Maybe, it was more than that if she’s hiding her from them. Rosita’s more beautiful and smarter. Maybe, the reason she and Waverly could never work after her was because--

“Haught?” Wynonna tries to bring her best friend back in from her intrusive thoughts. 

“Sorry, I-- Did you say Rosita?” Nicole prays for a second that she misheard the Earp heir. 

“Yeah, I did. Waverly’s been sneaking away having sleepovers with the bitch who tried to kill her and take Alice.” 

Nicole pauses again. Red. She sees red. This entire time, she had been trying to give Waverly the benefit of the doubt… She defended her to Wynonna when Wynonna was losing her mind about the secret being kept. “I thought she was smarter than this,” Nicole says through gritted teeth. 

“Yeah, I  _ know.  _ Of all the people she could be hiding from me… It had to be--” 

“Someone has to talk some fucking sense into her,” Nicole decides. 

Wynonna shakes her head. “Not gonna be me. I want to fucking  _ knock  _ some sense into her. I’m so over her making me feel like shit for worrying when she’s out here braiding the enemy’s hair and doing her damn nails.”

“Then, I will.” 

***

Waverly sits at a barstool by herself at the corner of the bar. Mama wants nothing to do with her. Doc isn’t there yet. Nicole had walked right by her and stormed to the bathroom when after talking to Mama for half of a second. Wynonna’s already mad at her for what she did to Jolene when she thought she saw the demon at the greenhouse. Now, she knows Nicole will be, too. 

If only Rosita could be here with her. Rosita would at least be by her side even if she didn’t go toe-to-toe with everyone who seems to hate her. Then again, maybe Rosita will hate her once she’s back in their circle and sees how much damage Waverly  _ always, always  _ does. 

Bringing out her phone, she scrolls to Rosita’s message thread and types out. 

**Waves:** _ Rosie?  _

She watches as the three dots appear on her screen, sagging with relief that Rosita’s already replying back. 

**Rosie:** _ I’m here, Waves. You okay? _ _   
_ **W:** _ I’m not sure. Things are getting bad. Really bad. I feel so alone.  _ _   
_ **R:** _ Can you sneak away?  _ _   
_ **W:** _ No. We’re supposed to be celebrating killing the demon that’s been after me my whole life. Haha.  _ _   
_ **R:** _ Wait, what?!  _ **  
** **W:** _ Sorry. It’s been fucking insane with mama breaking out… And Jolene here…  _ _   
_ **R:** _ Who is Jolene?  _

Waverly scrunches her nose up in confusion. Why did people keep asking who Jolene is? She’s only been around  _ forever.  _ How many times will she have to jog everyone’s memory. Hadn’t Rosie met her months ago when she still worked here? 

**W:** _ C’mon, Rosie! You know Jolene. She’s been my friend forever.  _ _   
_ **R:** _ Waves, who is Jolene? Where are you right now?  _

Okay, this is weird. Waverly considers calling Rosita, but looks to Mama and remembers Wynonna and Nicole in the bathroom a few feet away. She could slink out… No. Just text her. It’s not a big deal. Rosita is just… She just cares. 

**W:** _ We’re at Shorty’s.  _ _   
_ **R:** _ Where did you kill this demon?  _ **  
** **W:** _ My mom’s family’s Greenhouse. The Gibson greenhouse on the family farm. That’s where I was born apparently. Mom was just going to bind it to herself again, but then Wynonna just shot him and sent him back to hell. _ _   
_ **R:** _ It was a revenant? Who was bound to your mom before?  _ _   
_ **W:** _ Apparently… What’s with the third degree, Rosie?  _

“Waverly.” 

Hurriedly, Waverly locks her phone and shoves it into her back pocket at the sound of her name--her name being spoken almost cruelly by a familiar voice. The tone is so foreign to her, she almost convinces herself that it can’t be who she thinks it is. As her eyes find the owner of the voice, her fears are confirmed. 

“Hi, Nicole,” Waverly offers meekly. “Everything okay?”

Nicole’s lips curl in a sneer. “Huh, well, let’s see… You’ve been sneaking off to see the woman you cheated on me with who also happens to be the woman who knocked you out and tried to steal your niece, but yeah I guess everything is a-okay.” 

In an instant, Waverly feels all of the color drain from her body. Where blood used to course through her veins, she feels  _ nothing.  _ There’s a complete emptiness in every inch of her. Nicole knows. How does Nicole know? Who told her? Surely, it couldn’t have been Doc. 

“Wh-who told you?” Waverly chokes out the question.

“Wynonna.” Nicole crosses her arms, staring down at her ex-girlfriend expectantly. 

“How-how did she find out?” 

“Jolene.” 

_ When did I tell Jolene?  _ Waverly thinks.  _ Did I tell Jolene?  _

“Do you have anything to say?” Nicole inquires. 

“I- I don’t know. I just-- Rosita’s sorry and she’s been there for me and--”

Nicole throws her head back and chuckles contemptibly. “She’s sorry? You’re  _ sorry  _ when you accidentally eat someone’s leftovers or when you have to cancel plans. You’re not  _ sorry  _ when you try to kidnap a kid and sell it for currency.” 

The way Nicole’s talking to her makes Waverly wish she could crawl into a hole and disappear. This is worse than all the days of silence. This is worse than the way it felt when they broke up. It’s worse than almost anything. “Nicole, please, she was only trying to--”

“Do you ever consider anyone besides yourself?” 

The tears threaten to fall from Waverly’s eyes and she does her best to rein them in. “Wh-what?” 

“I said do you ever consider anyone else? Do you ever think about how what you do affects your sister? Your sister who has given up so much of her life  _ for you? _ Do you ever think about that, Waverly?” Nicole says every word with more and more anger. 

“Of c-course, I do. But--”

“But what?! But Rosita’s too good of a kisser? Is she good in bed, too? Is that what this is about? Is that why you dumped me finally? Wanted to hop in bed with Rosita guilt-free?”

“I thought we both agreed that we just weren’t-- Nicole, no! That’s not-- That’s not what this is about. She’s a  _ friend.  _ I never-- We’ve never.” 

“Whatever. I’m going to go talk your fucking sister off another ledge you drove her to. Have fun with your demon.” Nicole turns to find Wynonna sitting next to Michelle at the bar. 

Waverly watches as Nicole walks up to Wynonna with a softer demeanor. She watches Nicole reach out with a careful hand and tuck Wynonna’s hair behind her ear like she’s breakable. Wynonna looks down but Nicole lifts her chin so gingerly. Waverly thinks she sees Nicole ask  _ are you okay?  _ and say  _ it’s not your fault.  _

It’s too much. This is too much. Nicole hates her. Wynonna hates her. Mama thinks she’s some sort of terrible, unfun drama queen who attacks their own team. They know about Rosita and it seems Rosita’s as good as dead… If the way Nicole reacted is any indication. Wynonna won’t even look at her. 

Waverly rises from her seat and runs out of the bar to her jeep. She sits in the front seat and lets herself begin to sob. Her fingers wrap around the hard rubberized material of the steering wheel. She grips and twists until a terrible sound is produced with the burning of her palms. Her head falls forward and tears fall onto her lap, pouring out like rain. 

_ Tap. Tap. Tap.  _

Startling, she looks through her window and sees Doc standing there. Her hands move to frantically wipe the tears away from her face. As soon as she catches her breath, she opens her door and allows Doc to step into her space. 

“Hey. Woo, karaoke night.”

“Hello Waverly. I have been meaning to ask you… Do you know anything about a ring? A ring that may have been Bulshar's?” 

Waverly is slightly relieved that he doesn’t seem to be jumping down her throat for whatever reason he definitely has to hate her. She clears her throat. “Um, Nicole does.

“Alright, I will bite… Why, pray tell, are you crying?” Doc asks somewhat gently, more exasperated than anything. Under his breath, he adds. “Again?”

Part of Waverly recognizes Doc doesn’t actually care right now… But, everything just starts to spill out of her anyway. “Because everything? I... think Nicole hates me now and I don't even blame her. Wynonna found out about Rosita and told Nicole so I’m terrified that Wynonna’s going to go hunt her down and kill her… Mama's going to go back to jail and I feel like it's all my fault? She said the demon came when I was born.”

Doc’s lips turn down into a frown of consideration. “When you were born?”

Waverly notices the way he is looking at her. There’s an implication between the lines of his few words. “Wait… Are you saying… The demon. Is it me?”

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a cookie wrapped in a napkin. He offers the napkin to Waverly and takes a bite out of the cookie. His demeanor shifts visibly as the sweetness of Jolene’s treat settles within him. “You know, it would make sense. You are not the same as the rest and Bobo said you were his kin… Plus... you got a real vicious streak. Just ask Jolene.”

_ Am I a demon?  _ Waverly turns back towards her steering wheel and grips it once more, twisting her hands back and forth until her fingers ache. Is that why no matter what she does or how she tries… she just screws everything up? Is that why she can’t seem to help but be… selfish… Like Nicole said. 

“No…” she murmurs softly, the tears threatening to begin to fall again. 

“Well… I will leave you to… whatever it is you are doing,” Doc says with raised brows and annoyed expression. He leaves and Waverly barely notices. 

The darkness creeps through her mind, reaching every corner of it, until there’s nothing left but blackness. All she does is hurt people. 

_ Rosita,  _ her mind reminds her. 

There are four missed calls from the woman and a string of texts. 

**R:** _ I’m just worried. That doesn’t make sense, Waverly. Don’t you realize that? _ _   
_ **R:** _ Waves, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you mad.  _ _   
_ **R:** _ Can you let me know you’re okay pretty soon? I’m going kinda crazy and thinking about crashing the party to check on you.  _ _   
_ **R:** _ I’m probably being crazy. You’re with everyone, I know you can’t be hooked into your phone. I’m sorry for being crazy.  _

Waverly sniffles and types out a message. 

**W:** _ I’m not at Shorty’s anymore. Don’t come here. You know it’s not safe.  _ _   
_ **W:** _ Thanks for everything, Rosie. You’re amazing. Don’t forget it.  _

Waverly locks her phone and tosses it into the passenger seat before starting her car and taking off. 

***

Nicole slams the holding cell shut with Michelle Gibson on the other side. The woman drunkenly stumbles to the stone slab against the wall. “No wonder my daughter broke up with you,” she slurs. 

Wynonna gives her mother a pointed look and turns to look up at the target of the insult. “She’s just drunk.” 

“Yeah, that’s why I had to lock her up. She took a swing at Lonny… She’s lucky she didn’t make contact because he would have totally pressed charges and I’d have no choice but to turn her into the feds. Which… I still don’t see how I have any other choice.”

The pair of best friends look on as Michelle collapses with her arm over her eyes. Years in the Ghost River Institute without access to whiskey had done away with a bit of her tolerance. Then again, she was throwing them back one after another while Wynonna stewed in her anger. 

“I know,” Wynonna sighs. 

Nicole’s face shifts. It goes from hard and calculated to upset and contemplative. 

“What is it?”

“I can’t believe I said all those terrible things to Waverly… I-- I didn’t even really mean most of them,” Nicole comments, walking out to her desk. Wynonna follows closely behind. Nicole collapses into her chair, linking her hands across her abdomen and sinking back. 

Wynonna hops onto the edge of Nicole’s desk and watches her with soft eyes and slightly furrowed brows. “What did you say?” 

Nicole pushes a breath through her lips, making them roll in a way that makes Wynonna’s heart do flips. “So much… I-- I should go apologize. Why… did I say those things?”

“Because you were upset?” 

“I’ve been upset before… But…” 

“Uh, ladies…” Sheriff Nedley approaches with a tupperware container. “Jolene dropped these off… One question, who the hell is Jolene?” 

Wynonna and Nicole look to each other in the same instance and then back to Nedley the same. “Jolene! Friend of our family since… Pfft, forever?” Wynonna reminds him. 

“I’ve been here forever, Wynonna and I’ve never heard of a Jolene being close with the Earps or the Gibsons. What’s her family name?” 

Wynonna tries to pull it from her memory. It should be  _ right there  _ if they’ve been friends forever, shouldn’t it? 

Nedley goes on, “You got an address? Who’re her parents? Phone number? Everybody's got a phone number.” 

“Demons don’t…” Wynonna murmurs where Nicole can hear her.

Absentmindedly, the sheriff opens the tupperware container and takes a tart out and begins to bring it to his mouth. 

“Put the tart down, Randy!” 

“Sheriff, no!” 

Wynonna and Nicole call out simultaneously. The fog is clearing.  _ Jolene is the demon.  _

“WYNONNA!!! OFFICER HAUGHT!!! LET ME OUT OF HERE! THE DEMON IS STILL OUT THERE! IT’S STILL OUT THERE!” Michelle shouts through the station. Mama’s just made the same realization they have; it’s clear.

“I’ll be damned, it  _ is  _ her,” Nedley remarks. 

“We’ve gotta jet, Nedley. Erase Mama’s name from the roster or whatever the fuck. Forget she was ever here!” 

***

The Gibson greenhouse is darker than before. The sunlight is gone. Moonlight and stars provide the dullest illumination throughout. Waverly stands near the statue Mama had looked at longingly when talking about her father earlier. There’s only one way to end the torment of her family. She has to kill the demon. 

And the demon… is herself. 

Is she strong enough to end this? Is she strong enough to give up her own life for the good of her family? She has to be. There are good parts of her. There  _ is  _ good in her. She’s the nicest person in Purgatory. Everyone loves her… or they used to. But, even demons have sweet tricks…  _ Sweet as clover honey.  _ The phrase surprises her, spoken in the voice of her mother. When had she said that? 

A knife flies by her head, just missing her and sticking to one of the wooden posts in the greenhouse. Waverly turns slowly to find the thrower. Jolene. “Well if it isn’t the demon… Waverly.” 

All Waverly can do is stand and stare, defeated. Her eyes are bloodshot from sobbing the entire drive here.  _ This will be easier. Jolene can kill me. I don’t have to do it myself.  _

“You’re not good.” Jolene approaches with a look of sheer disgust all over her face. “If you were good, you wouldn't have lost everything.” She pulls the knife from the post and points it inches away from Waverly’s face. She’s trembling with rage. 

_ She’s right. You’re not good. You’re alone. You need to make the right choice.  _

“Are you going to do something right? For once?” Jolene echoes her thoughts. 

Waverly thought she was out of tears, but more begin to fall from her eyes as she looks into the face of the woman who hates her the most. 

“My mom… She... She did all this to protect me from-- from the dark thing,” Waverly manages through her cries. She’s trying to hold on. 

Jolene laughs and it’s the most God awful feeling Waverly’s ever experienced. “You  _ are  _ the dark thing!” Jolene clutches the knife with both hands and looks at Waverly with too-wide eyes. “The real baby was special, but you're not her. You're a changeling, the evil that she left behind that night in the burning barn.”

“My father was a demon?” 

“You know he is…” 

Her worst fears are confirmed. She  _ is  _ the demon. She’s a dark thing. A demon. She’s a demon who can’t help her nature. She turns to sink down to the ground, leaning back against the wooden post. She brings her hands up to her face and sobs into them. “It’s too much.”

“Then, end it,” Jolene urges. Still trembling, the woman places the handle of the knife into Waverly’s hands, making sure to point the sharp end towards Waverly’s chest. Waverly grasps it shakily. “Do it! It’s the only thing that will make things better… For everyone.”

Waverly’s eyes fall to the sharp blade in her hands. It’s what she had come here to do.  _ To save everyone.  _

“I was born at the exact same time as you.” Jolene says. 

“Twins?” Waverly reasons. 

“In a sick sense. The universe craves balance. And you came and arrived out of the light and I... I crawled out of the muck.”

Waverly pleads as she offers her apologies, “I'm sorry. I'm sorry.” She shakes her head, looking deep into dark eyes that want her  _ gone.  _

“Everything good was given to you. Freedom, flaxen hair, family. And what did I get? I got shunned, starved, reviled.” 

Her arms ache with how tightly she clutches the knife. The heavy burning in her arms weighs so much on her chest. 

“But we're equals now, because nobody loves you either.”

_ That’s not true. That’s not true. That’s not true.  _ Waverly brings the knife out a fraction, readying herself for the plunge, but stops.  _ Wynonna loves me. Nicole loves me. Rosita…  _ She can’t do it. Waverly begs again, “Why don't you do it?”

The rage reaches a boiling point when Jolene screams louder than she has yet. There’s nothing more that Jolene wants to do, Waverly thinks, than to kill her. But, she screams exactly why she can’t. “Haven't you been listening! We're linked, you idiot! Do it, you useless piece of skin!” 

_ This thing hates you more than I thought anything could hate anyone.  _ Mama’s words come back to her. 

_ But who loves you?  _ Waverly asks herself. 

“Wynonna!” she answers aloud, confidently and solidly. “Wynonna loves me.”

“No…” Jolene says just as surely. 

“Yes, yes, always. And despite what happened tonight I know that Nicole does, too… And I think…  _ Rosita…  _ She-- and, and Doc, and Jeremy… and Mama.”

“You're lying to yourself.”

“No.”

“You don't bring them a single thing.”

“I'm here. I'm here and I stay… and I love them back… and I never, never give up on them.” Waverly trembles violently before throwing the knife as far away from them as she can manage. 

Jolene shrieks, grabbing Waverly with both of her hands on one of Waverly’s arms and tossing her through the air like she weighs nothing. “It's my birthright!” 

Waverly scurries across the ground towards the first weapon she can see--a shovel. She’s on her feet as fast as she can be, holding the weapon between her and Jolene. “Well, this is mine!” Waverly shouts back with her entire chest, bringing the shovel hard across Jolene’s face and knocking her to the ground. Jolene remains on all fours, crawling away from Waverly as best as she can. 

“This is for making me feel worthless!” Waverly declares as she plunges the shovel towards the ground between Jolene’s legs. 

“Waverly!” Rosita’s voice cuts through the craziness and the revenant is between them before Waverly knows what’s happening.

“Rosita,” Waverly whispers. “Wh-what are you doing here?” 

“You think I can’t tell what a goodbye sounds like?” Rosita bites back. “I knew you’d come back here.” 

Jolene raises to her feet.  _ “You.  _ You idiot, you’re asking for death, now, huh?” 

“Look who’s talking.” Rosita lunges at Jolene and has both of the woman’s hands restricted behind her before Jolene can stop her. “I’m dragging you right to hell with me, bitch.”

“Rosie, no!” Waverly sobs. 

The sight of them threatens to empty the contents of Waverly’s stomach out onto the ground before her. Rosita’s eyes are glowing their bright red, blackness surrounding them on her lids and underneath. Jolene flashes between a demonic figure and the human-like appearance she had taken. 

“Waves!” Wynonna’s voice is the next to reach Waverly’s ears. Nicole comes bounding in behind her with her weapon drawn as well. Peacemaker and Nicole’s gun are aimed at the pair of demons. 

“Rosita,” Wynonna says to herself. 

“What’s the plan, Earp?” Nicole asks, planting her feet and looking ahead at the sight before them. 

Wynonna takes in the scene. Rosita is holding Jolene tightly in place, keeping her right where Wynonna needs her. Rosita  _ saved  _ Waverly just a few moments before her. That’s all Wynonna knows. If she hadn’t gotten there when she had, would Waverly still be alive? The answer is irrelevant. Rosita risked everything exposing herself for Waverly. It all floods her mind in an instant. 

“Shoot, Wynonna!” Rosita demands. 

“NO! Wynonna, not Rosita. Please just-- Give us-- We can talk. Please let her talk. Don’t shoot. Don’t hit Rosie, please,” Waverly cries. 

Nicole can’t help the way her chest aches for Waverly. They’d all been so awful to her because of this fucking demon. Rosita might be the only thing Waverly feels like she has left. 

“Wynonna, shoot!” Rosita repeats herself. 

“Not until you move,” Wynonna says cooly. 

“But you love me…” Jolene laments. 

“I love her more,” Wynonna says, nodding to Waverly. 

Rosita locks eyes with Wynonna a moment later and nods, jumping away right as Wynonna pulls the trigger and the shot goes straight through Jolene’s abdomen. 

Wynonna watches as Waverly flings herself recklessly and mindlessly into Rosita’s arms. Rosita tightens her embrace around Waverly and allows her eyes to close. Waverly’s frenzied hands work over Rosita’s back, her head, down her back, over and over again--like she’s trying to make sure the woman is still there. A moment later, Waverly and Rosita collapse to the ground clinging to each other. 

_ Shit,  _ Wynonna thinks. She turns her head to see Nicole looking back at her. 

“Go get the bitch, Wynonna.” 

The Heir snaps her head back to Waverly who’s just demanded she finally kill the demon that’s been plaguing their family for too long. Wynonna can’t stop her feet from running to her sister, falling to her knees and reaching out to touch her face tenderly. Her blue eyes dart to Rosita who won’t look at her. Wynonna reaches a hand out and places it on Rosita’s shoulder next, squeezing gently. “Thank you,” she chokes out. 

“Go,” Waverly says again. “Don’t let her get away.” 

***

Bulshar claimed Jolene before Wynonna ever got the chance. Wynonna doesn’t know whether to be disappointed, relieved, or terrified. She’s a little bit of all of them, she decides. Michelle has her arms around both her and Waverly, holding them tightly as they settle in the aftershocks. Nicole stands off to the side and scans the area. She watches as Rosita’s car takes off. 

“Rosita just took off,” Wynonna says softly. 

“She’s still-- Scared. I hope she doesn’t-- Run away again,” Waverly manages. 

“I’m gonna go talk to Officer Haught and let you two…  _ Talk,”  _ Michelle decides before going to Nicole’s side. 

Wynonna straightens, looking at the younger Earp studiously. Waverly focuses on a particularly fascinating stone on the ground. 

“We have a lot to talk about,” Wynonna tells Waverly as softly as she can. “A  _ lot  _ to talk about, but…”

“But?” Waverly asks hopefully, looking up to Wynonna with pleading eyes. 

“But… You should go-- and make sure Rosita sticks around to… talk.”

Waverly brightens, her mouth falling open as the reality of what Wynonna’s suggesting settles in her chest.

“I’m not saying-- I forgive her. Because, I still-- I have a lot of hate for her, Waverly. I-- don’t know if I can ever-- But, I don’t want-- Waves, I don’t want to hurt you. But, I’m done with the lies, okay? I’m fucking done with them. They almost--” 

Waverly throws herself into Wynonna now. Her arms squeeze her older sister so hard. “No more lies. I promise. I swear, no more lies between us. I thought you hated me for just a  _ second.”  _

Wynonna wraps her arms protectively around her baby sister. “Never. Don’t ever think that again. I love you. Always. No matter what you do. No matter how pissed I am. I love  _ you.  _ You hear me, kid?” 

“I love you, too, ‘Nonna.” 

“Go. Go make sure Rosita knows I’m not… planning to kill her.” Wynonna encourages. She places a firm kiss to Waverly’s forehead before shoving her away from her. 

***

Waverly chances the handle of the door without knocking. Rosita’s barely gotten in the door when Waverly bursts through it. 

“Don’t go!” Waverly blurts out before Rosita even registers someone intruding her place  _ again.  _ It’s just Waverly, so the intrusion is less of an intrusion and more of a visit, but she startles either way. 

“Waverly? What are you-- What?” 

“I said ‘don’t go.’ As in, please don’t run away again. Don’t leave,” Waverly begs. 

Rosita doesn’t speak. She barely emotes. She would be lying if she tried to convince Waverly the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. 

“Please?” Waverly begs again when Rosita doesn’t answer. 

“I don’t know, Waves…”

“No, listen. Wynonna told me to make sure you didn’t leave. And not because she wants to kill you! She’s not-- She said she doesn’t know if she can forgive you, but she told me to make sure you don’t leave. Because she-- she doesn’t want to hurt me.” 

Rosita does her best to listen and receive the word vomit Waverly unleashes. Wynonna doesn’t want to kill her, but doesn’t think she can forgive her. Wynonna told Waverly to come after her and make sure-- 

“What if she followed you?” Rosita responds evenly, trying to keep herself from getting too much hope. 

“She didn’t. No more lies. We agreed. She didn’t follow me. It’s just me, Rosie. Please tell me you’re not leaving. I’m not leaving until you promise.” Waverly looks at her with that cutely determined expression, almost pouting. 

“What if I never promise?” Rosita replies cheekily. “Then you have to stay here forever…” 

Waverly allows herself to finally smile for the first time in what feels like years. “Sounds terrible,” she jokes. “But that means that you never leave, too. Either way, I get what I want. As usual.” She winks at the last bit. 

“Come here…” Rosita breathes desperately. She takes the other woman into her arms again, really settling into the embrace now within the comfort of their sanctuary. “You scared me today, angel.” 

“I scared myself,” Waverly breathes. “I really almost-- but I’m still here. I’m right here.” 

“How am I supposed to let you go after that?” 

“Maybe, you’re not. Maybe, I don’t want you to.” 

“Then, I won’t,” Rosita promises. 

Waverly turns her head to draw in the scent of Rosita’s hair, allowing it to take over her being and calm her. Rosita leans into the way Waverly’s breath tickles her neck and lets the softest noise of content escape her lips. 

“I promise I won’t leave, Waves. I told you I’m tired of running and-- There’s nowhere for me to go after-- I don’t want to lose you. I feel like I  _ can’t  _ lose you.” 

Waverly pulls back at the same moment Rosita does. Their faces are so close. Waverly can feel Rosita’s breath tickle against her lips. Rosita wants to close the space. She’s wanted to close the space between them since the moment Waverly chased her down to this very spot. She can almost convince herself to do it. 

Then, she remembers the events of the day. Emotions are running too high and Rosita doesn’t want to take advantage of Waverly’s weakened state. She does lean forward, but just to press their foreheads together and close her eyes. 

“You should go be with your mom. She probably has the answers you need… About who you are. And Christmas is soon. I’m guessing our plans are off?” 

Waverly shakes her head, not breaking their contact. “Hell no. When Christmas is done at the homestead… I’m coming here. All night. Like we planned.” 

“Okay, angel… Go. I’ll be here, I swear.” 

Waverly brings both of her hands up to cup the sides of Rosita’s face and nods, still against her skin. “You better be. I’ll call you tonight. No more whispering. No more sneaking.” 

“I’ll be waiting.” 


	11. not so blue christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas. Will Waverly and Rosita get to spend the night together like they planned? Or will things get derailed by recent events?

Waverly stirs to a soft golden light shining through her window. It’s a new day. She remembers a second after waking--the secrets are done. Wynonna knows Rosita is alive… Knows that Waverly has been visiting her. Wynonna swears not to kill her… Yet. With the sad truth of the curse, everything is unknown. 

One day, Wynonna will likely have to pull that trigger on Rosita. Waverly pretends it isn’t true as much as she can, but there is a small, hopeless part of her that realizes its truth. 

Waverly wonders if the curse will end when Bulshar is dead. It has to, right? Will that mean the revenants turn into humans? Will they return to hell and be laid to rest once and for all? What will happen? A million and one questions swim around Waverly’s mind, but she never lets herself linger on the possibility of losing Rosita forever for too long. 

_ Rosita.  _

Waverly rolls over to reach for her phone on her nightstand and grins when she sees the date.  _ Christmas.  _ She scrolls to Rosita’s contact and presses  _ FaceTime Video.  _ It takes a few rings this time. The reason why is clear when Rosita appears on screen, still rubbing sleep out of her eyes. Her hair is slightly messed, but still looks perfect.  _ Because she’s perfect,  _ Waverly reminds herself. 

“Waves? Are you okay?” Rosita asks as her mouth falls open in a long yawn. Once she’s blinked a few times, Rosita smiles softly when she sees Waverly clearly. 

“Yeah, I’m good, Rosie. Just woke up and wanted to call. Merry Christmas by the way.” Waverly turns onto her side and chews on the inside of her lip. She rests against her pillows and watches as Rosita continues to blink herself to full consciousness. “Sorry for waking you up. I didn’t realize how early it was, really.” 

“Merry Christmas, angel. No need to be sorry,” Rosita says with a gentle smile. “Such a great thing to wake up to. Can’t wait to wake up to you actually in bed with me in the morning.”

Waverly turns her head and hides her face in the pillow sweetly and chuckles. The last time she woke up in Rosie’s arms, the other woman was having a  _ dream.  _ A thought crosses her mind-- _ Make the dream come true.  _ She keeps her face buried in the pillow as she lets herself imagine doing just that.

“Hey, stop hiding!” The way Rosita raises her voice that’s still thick with sleep sends tingles down Waverly’s spine. 

Slowly, Waverly peeks at her. “I haven’t let ‘Nonna know I’m staying the night yet…” she sighs. Her lip pokes out slightly. “With Mama here…”

“Oh right.” Rosita can’t hide her disappointment. “I get it, Waves. I know we made the plans before…” 

“Rosie… I still want to come. Like a lot. And I want to stay just as much. I’ll let you know like… So soon if I’m still going to be able to, okay?” 

Rosita stretches. The phone turns at an angle without Rosita realizing and gives Waverly the most  _ marvelous _ view of the way the tank top Rosita is wearing leaves little to the imagination. Waverly feels like she should turn away, but wonders if that would be even weirder.  _ God, she is unreal,  _ Waverly thinks 

“Okay,” Rosita yawns again. “I really understand, okay? It’ll suck, but I get it.” Rosita brings the phone back to a normal position and gives Waverly a sympathetic smile. “Since I don’t have to worry about Wynonna… So she says… I’m resting a little easier now and I’ll be here when things cool down.”

“Whether I stay or not, I’m still coming to see you, Rosie.” 

“Can’t wait.”

“I should probably head downstairs… I’ll text you later and see you soon!”

“See you soon.” 

The call ends and Waverly allows herself to lie in bed for a few more precious moments. The weight of this secret had been more than Waverly realized until it had been lifted. Wynonna knows. Rosita is safe. There is still work to do mending that fence all the way… But, Waverly  _ has  _ to have faith that it will get mended… There’s no other option not when she… 

Waverly shakes her head and rises from her bed. 

***

Wynonna loves Christmas, even in spite of having no one to really spend it with for over a decade of her life. Today? Her mother is home. Her sister is home. Her family  _ is home.  _ She wears her favorite onesie and throws the hood up over her head. 

She slides into the room  _ Risky Business  _ style and grins. “Who's up for some rum n' eggnog…” She turns towards her mother. “…hold the nog.”

That’s when she sees everything. The house is  _ covered  _ in Christmas decorations. Really, they’re  _ everywhere.  _ With all the madness, Wynonna and Waverly hadn’t really been in the mood to get them up, but Mama must have… 

“Mama…” Wynonna says softly, awe evident in her tone. 

“What? You thought I was gonna let my girls wake up to a gloomy house on Christmas morning? Absolutely not. Not the first one I’m getting to spend with them in almost twenty years. No way.” 

“Well, let me help!” Wynonna bounds over to the Christmas decorations and fishes until she finds the angel Waverly made so many years ago. She proudly shows it to her mom and goes to step on the stool next to the tree. 

“Whoa! What are you-- That's no angel.

“We've always used this.”

“Not always.”

“I mean, after you left.”

“Can I please, please just give you two the Christmas I always wanted?

Wynonna smiles sympathetically before pouting. Sighing, she acquiesces, “I guess the menstru-angel can go back in the box.”

There’s a knock at the door. Wynonna’s eyebrows pull together, but she goes to the door and sees none other than her best friend standing there and she can’t help but  _ laugh.  _

“Are those your ears or are you just happy to see me?” she asks through her laughter. 

Nicole rolls her eyes and smirks down at the woman in a onesie with the audacity to laugh at  _ her.  _ “Har har! Laugh it up, Wynonna! I’m being  _ forced  _ to wear this. What’s your excuse?” 

Wynonna’s amused look is replaced by one of sheer offense. “What do you have against my onesie, Haught? Think  _ real  _ hard before you answer.” 

The redheaded elf lets her eyes really look over Wynonna carefully, narrowed eyes and tongue peeking out of the side of her mouth. “Hmm. I got nothing against it, actually. You look pretty cute.” 

_ Okay that wasn’t what I was expecting.  _ Wynonna blinks in surprise but smirks a second later. “Do I look pretty or cute? Which one is it?”

“Why does it have to be one?” Nicole asks, tilting her head. 

Wynonna rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “Shut up… Did you really drive all the way out here so I could see your elf cosplay or…?” 

“Well, I thought since you helped me with decorating you might need some help but… Looks like you got it covered.” Nicole steps into the house further and looks around at just how festive it looks. 

“Mama did all of this. She’s still working on the tree.” 

Nicole turns back to Wynonna with the softest smile in place on her lips. “That’s really amazing, Wyn. I’m happy for you. For you both.” 

“You can still help if you want…”

The sound of footsteps on the stairs behind Nicole makes her turn her head to see Waverly coming down them. Her face shifts. Waverly smiles despite the thin line that forms on Nicole’s mouth. 

“Still the elf, I see,” Waverly offers light-heartedly. 

Nicole clears her throat and turns back to Wynonna. “Actually, I think I should get to work early. Make sure Nedley has everything in place.”

Wynonna looks between the two of them curiously. Ever since the Rosita reveal, Nicole hadn’t really talked to Waverly or about Waverly anymore. Wynonna realizes it all at once. Just when she thought Nicole really was completely over Waverly… 

“You’re still coming for dinner tonight, right?” Wynonna asks, looking up at her best friend through her lashes. 

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Nicole offers with a smile. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Don’t be late.” 

Nicole shakes her head and walks past Wynonna, exiting without a word to Waverly at all. Wynonna turns back to her baby sister and winces slightly. 

“Gotta say…” Waverly starts, finishing her trek down the stairs. “Of all the people who would ice me out… I didn’t think it would be Nicole.” 

“Well… She probably… She might think what I thought. Even though I told her you definitely didn’t cheat on her again. But… I guess you can see how it’d be pretty hard not to think that.”

“Wynonna! I swear I never cheated on her!” Waverly defends, crossing her arms and pouting slightly. “I was mad when I-- I mean… It’s not like…” Waverly stops herself and breathes deeply. She notices the house a moment later. 

“Oh wow!” she gasps, taking note of the hanging lights everywhere. “Did you do all this, ‘Nonna?” 

Wynonna shakes her head. “Mama…”

“Mama?” Waverly looks six years old all over again. 

“Mhmm.”

“We’re really going to have a family Christmas, huh?” 

“Seems it!” Wynonna looks over Waverly’s shoulder at Mama carrying on with her decorating. “I’m going to go grab a cup of coffee… but then, we need to talk about some stuff.” She nods towards her room. “Go sit on my bed. I’ll be there in a sec.” 

Waverly does as she’s told and her sister is there a few moments later. 

“It’s crazy having mama back,” Waverly whispers quietly. 

“Yeah… I don’t think we should leave her alone today. I mean I have to go work eventually, but… Don’t leave her alone, okay?” Wynonna urges her sister. She moves to get dressed in actual clothes while they talk. 

“I won’t. I want to be here. With her. Plus, I have to dig around for the menstru-angel.”

“Uh-uh. Menstru-angel is a no-go. Mama’s not a fan.”

“What?! I didn’t know they were tampons when I made it… I can convince her!” Waverly goes to leave but Wynonna jumps over to the bed, now dressed in a shirt and jeans, and stops Waverly from even getting off the bed. 

“Wait! I’m not done with you. I have  _ so  _ much more I gotta talk out with you, baby girl.”

“Okay…” Waverly says suspiciously. 

“Um…” Wynonna clears her throat. “Are you… dating Rosita?” 

Waverly wants to disappear. She truly would like to catch fire and disintegrate to ash. That question… From her sister… It is too much. 

“Waves, I’m not trying to judge you. I just… We said no more secrets and I’m ready to talk about this if you are. I think. Well, I’m trying.” 

“We’re not,” Waverly answers plainly, trying to hide her disappointment. And failing. 

“But you have feelings for her,” Wynonna states plainly. She isn’t asking. 

Waverly looks down at her hands in her lap.

“Baby girl… I’m not--” Wynonna moves to sit in front of Waverly and place a hand over both of Waverly’s. “C’mon… Talk to me. I don’t want to go back to how we used to be. Not after everything. I’m-- sorry about all the shit. I just want to talk to my sister.”

“I think I’ve always had feelings for her… I know that sounds bad, but… I always could talk to her a lot easier than I could talk to Nicole. Like, she just got me when I was being-- I was being so awful to Nicole and still, Rosie just--”

Wynonna narrows her eyes at the nickname. It’s not the first time she’s heard it, but the way it rolls off of Waverly’s tongue is so sweet. She wonders if  _ Nic  _ or  _ Haught  _ sounds the same rolling off her own tongue. 

“Rosie just listened and helped and she didn’t judge me. She was so great… And I ruined it by kissing her when I was still with Nicole, but maybe the kiss was more than just a buzz off champagne and her being nice to me.” 

Now that Waverly is able to talk about it, everything just comes pouring out. She hadn’t been able to share any of these feelings with anyone for  _ weeks.  _

“No, it’s definitely more than that. Every time I’m with her, I think about dancing with her… Kissing her…”

“Okay… Don’t go too far into detail,” Wynonna interrupts finally with a light laugh. The older woman might still feel a burning hatred in her for the revenant, but seeing Waverly happy would trump almost anything. Except maybe Alice now. “Are you sure she’s not trying to… Get close to you and finish what she started?” 

Waverly gives her sister a pointed look. A fiery reply is on the tip of her tongue until she realizes that Wynonna’s not really accusing Rosita. She looks worried and soft. Waverly softens and takes a deep breath, quelling her instinctual reaction to defend Rosita. 

“I chased her down the first time… Pissed. Really pissed. I gave her hell about everything. But… You know we weren’t the best to her either. I told her I wasn’t going to tell you then and I spilled it like an hour later and then you--” Waverly pauses to gather her thoughts. “No, ‘Nonna. I don’t think she’s here to do anything bad. I think she felt bad and she misses being a part of our group… Even if we totally treated her like shit the first time around.”

Wynonna tries to take in every word with grace. She tries to let herself accept the slight digs Waverly sprinkles throughout her answers. She  _ tries  _ very hard. But, she still can’t stop herself from feeling the bile rise in her throat as the events replay in her mind. 

Rosita shows up and takes Doc's attention away from her when she needs him to be a  _ father.  _ Rosita is beautiful and perfect and a smart, sexy scientist. Rosita kisses her sister in a hot tub while her sister is dating her best friend. Rosita is a revenant. Rosita knocks Waverly out and tries to steal her baby before she’s even born. 

She skipped a very important one. Rosita lets them fill her with poison over and over to save Nicole until they get a cure.  _ All you had to do was ask.  _

“I still don’t trust her,” Wynonna finally says. Waverly is ready to pounce but Wynonna holds a finger up to stop her. “It’s going to take me… A long ass time, Waves. But… I’m not an idiot and I can see that she’s been making you happy. Will you give me an address at least? I swear I’ll never ambush her, but I want to be able to find you if I need to when you’re-- With her.”

Waverly chews on the inside of her lip. “Okay… But, please  _ please  _ don’t go there unless you tell her first. Please.”

“I won’t, Waverly. I like having a code, you know. If she doesn’t step outta line again, I’ll let her live at least.”

That makes Waverly feel sick to her stomach. Any time Wynonna talks like that, Waverly wishes they could have a different life. Her sister has to play this impossible role and hold the lives of others in the fist of her hand when she grasps Peacemaker. She wishes beyond all power in the world that one of those targets never has to be Rosita again. 

“I’m going to go see her tonight after dinner,” Waverly blurts out. 

Wynonna raises her eyebrow and says nothing.

“And stay the night there…”

Wynonna’s head falls back in disbelief. It’s her turn to take a deep breath and calm the immediate negative response that comes to the forefront of her mind. It takes her a few seconds to roll her head forward and nod. “Okay.”

“Okay? You’re not going to try to stop me?” Waverly asks skeptically. 

“You’re a grown woman, Waverly. If you want to have a sleepover with another grown woman, I can’t stop you.” Wynonna relents. 

“You’re right. You can’t,” Waverly says too defensively. She shakes her head and winces. “I’m sorry. Thank you.”

Wynonna nods. “I want you happy, baby girl.” A small snigger expels out of Wynonna. 

“What?” 

“It’s just… Well kind of ironic with Rosita being a demon and you…” 

“Me what?” 

“Well… I have something to tell you… About your father…”

***

Waverly storms into the kitchen where Mama has her sleeves rolled up and is dealing with some kind of Christmas prep. Neither of the Earp girls can see exactly what she’s doing. Waverly doesn’t care. She can only think of one thing now. 

“My dad was an angel? Like an angel. Oh, god. Angels don't exist…” Waverly’s mind runs a million miles a minute. Even in the midst of all the thoughts about who she is and who her father is, one amuses her.  _ Rosita was right.  _ She’s an angel… If her father really is an angel… she is an angel. Just like Rosie said.

“Ah shit,” Michelle whispers to herself, shoving her hand deeper into the turkey she’d slaughtered a little earlier. 

“Oh my god, I'm hyperventilating… How could he be an angel?” Waverly continues, but Mama isn’t having it. 

“Would you be an angel and tell me where you two keep the cranberry sauce.”

“Nobody actually eats it.” Wynonna dismisses. 

“Hey! It's not Christmas without cranberry sauce. So one of you better get some, pronto. And you're gonna need to dig through this to see if you can find anything worth saving.”

Waverly feels the need to stomp her foot, but doesn’t. “Guys! We need to talk about this, OK? Wait… Did you just go out and slaughter a wild turkey?”

“Like I'm gonna feed my girls store bought. Mm-mm.” 

“No, you can't avoid this with giblets.”

“Even really gross giblets.”

“You. You're my miracle baby.”

“And what better time of year to tell her about it than JC's birthday?”

“Please, Mama. I've been waiting long enough. Who is my father?”

“Fine. OK. Pull up a chair.”

***

Michelle paints a beautiful picture of  _ Julian.  _ Waverly’s father was a kind, good man--much different from Ward Earp. But, he disappeared. He never even got to meet Waverly. Wynonna puts it elegantly…  _ He ditched a pregnant woman. _

“I don't feel like an angel.” Waverly says

“I guess Bobo could have been lying,” Wynonna says with a shrug.

“Bobo Del Rey? Is that son of a bitch still around? He was there the night you were born.”

“What? He was?” This information kicks Waverly in the chest. This man really had been stalking her her entire life. She’s tired of having to still deal with him twenty-three years later. So much of her life could have been different if she hadn’t buried that stupid talisman. But, maybe it wouldn’t be the life she’s come to love.

“Yes.”

Wynonna’s phone goes off and she pulls it from her pocket. “Oh man, I gotta go. Kid went missing.”

“On Christmas? Well, go. Bring them home.”

“I plan to.” Wynonna smiles and then she’s gone.

“Please. Please, Mama!” Waverly begs the moment she can. 

“No. I just want to spend the night with my girls. I don't wanna get lost in the ghosts of Christmas past. I just wanna eat some turkey.”

“I'm vegan.”

“Of course you are… I’ll make sure I have something you can eat for dinner…”

“Maybe I could invite Dad? Got his number?” Waverly suggests cutely, wiggling her eyebrows.

“No. I don't. But if either of you two know where Bobo is maybe you could ask him.” Michelle offers. “Now, let me go back to getting this turkey ready… You can go… Do whatever it is you do. I don’t want my vegan daughter to see me mangling a poor animal.”

***

Waverly gets ready, bundling herself up to brave the harsh winter outside. Before she steps out into it, she pulls out her phone and presses the call button for Rosita again. 

_ “Hey, Waves? Are you breaking bad news?”  _

“No! Not at all. For one, I told Wynonna I was staying with you tonight and she didn’t put up a fight.”

_ “Wait, really?”  _ Rosita sounds so happy it makes the butterflies in Waverly’s stomach flutter. 

“Really… But that’s not why I’m calling!”

_ “What’s up, angel?”  _

Waverly chuckles. “Funny you should say that… So, I um… Well, you know what I want to see your face. Are you busy right now?” 

_ “No?”  _

“Will you go with me to see Bobo?”

_ “Del Rey? Where the hell is he?”  _

“At the bottom of the well Doc spent forever in. He has some answers about my dad. But, I don’t want to go alone.”

_ “Yeah, Waves. I’ll head that way. Meet you at Shorty’s and we’ll go there together?”  _

“Sounds perfect, Rosie. See you then.”

***

Rosita pulls up a few minutes after Waverly. She walks over to the Jeep and climbs in. Waverly looks at the woman with stars in her eyes. 

“So what is it you wanted to see my face for?” Rosita asks without a greeting. It’s all she could think about while she had gotten ready and drove to Shorty’s. 

“Hello to you, too…” Waverly jokes. 

“Sorry! Hi… How are you?” Rosita smiles and Waverly wants nothing more than to reach out and squish her absolutely perfect cheeks between her hands. 

“Better now… I was only teasing. The thing… That I want to see your face for… Wynonna went to talk to Bobo before and she learned… That my father… was an angel.”

Rosita blinks. A few seconds pass before she throws her head back and laughs. Her arms fall to her stomach, clutching as the beautiful sound fills the jeep for a few short moments. Waverly rolls her eyes and shakes her head over and over. 

“I knew it!” Rosita calls out playfully. “What did I tell you….  _ Angel?” _ she questions. 

“Okay, well Bobo could have been lying!” 

“No way! I knew you had to be an angel. It’s  _ so  _ obvious!” Rosita insists. 

“I don’t feel like one,” Waverly says quietly, looking vulnerable and small. 

Without thought, Rosita reaches out and cups the side of Waverly’s face. “Feel like one to me…” 

They stay like that for a short while. Waverly leans into the warm touch of Rosita’s hand and lets the sweet words embrace the rest of her. They don’t have to hide anymore. They’re sitting in front of a closed Shorty’s, touching and smiling. They’re about to drive through town together without the fear of being “caught.” 

_ Kiss her,  _ a voice whispers inside Waverly’s head. When Rosita’s hand drops away, though, she loses all her courage. Their  _ new _ first kiss shouldn’t happen in her jeep before they go talk to the old big Rev in charge. It should happen… Later.  _ Differently.  _ It should be special this time. Maybe with an Elvis song playing… 

“Waves?” Rosita breaks through the daydreams and the Earp woman jolts back to reality. 

“Sorry…”

“What were you thinkin’ about?” Rosita asks curiously.

“Just trying to think about what to say to Bobo if I want to get info from him,” she lies. Rosita can’t be privy to her romantic plan before she gets to bring it to fruition--assuming all these big neon signs are being read correctly and Rosita actually wants to kiss her. 

“Let’s go. I can’t wait to see that dick at the bottom of a well, suffering. I can’t stand him,” Rosita spews with hatred. 

***

Rosita and Waverly walk up to the covered well together. Waverly has her shotgun drawn and ready to shoot on the off chance that she will have to. Theoretically, Doc and Wynonna have visited without a mishap or Bobo getting free, but still… Better safe than sorry. 

“You okay?” Rosita asks.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

Waverly’s ringtone sounds.  _ Wynonna.  _ “Shoot,” she says before tapping the button. 

_ “Waves. I need you to cross-reference a name with the VIP townspeople the vamps were after. McBlake.” _

“McBlake? Tim McBlake? Yeah, no, their family's been in Purgatory forever. I think they were originally prospectors.”

_ “Great. Thanks…”  _ Waverly thinks she’s safe. And then...  _ “How's Mama?” _

“Elbows deep in turkey guts, yeah….” Waverly casts a glance towards the still-covered well. “I should get back to her….”

Rosita raises her eyebrows in panic.  _ Wynonna doesn’t know they’re here.  _

The conversation ends and Waverly shoves her phone back in her pocket. The look Rosita’s giving her causes her stomach to churn terribly. “What?”

“Wynonna doesn’t know we’re here, does she?”

Waverly pushes her eyebrows together and up, trying to look as cute as she possibly can when she finally admits, “No?”

Rosita licks her lips in annoyance. 

“Rosie please! I’m not trying to lie to her, I just know she’ll panic if I’m here! But I need answers. She’ll never know. We’ll talk to him and leave. That’s it. You won’t let anything happen to me…” Waverly pouts, bouncing on her feet a little. 

“Fuuuuuck!” Rosita draws out, shaking her head and narrowing her eyes. “You are  _ so  _ fucking lucky you’re cute. You could get away with murder… Fine. But if she finds out, I am  _ so  _ throwing you under the bus.” 

Waverly’s mouth drops open with a high-pitched gasp. “You would  _ never!  _ Not to your angel…” Waverly pouts again, more exaggerated this time. 

_ Your angel.  _ Rosita wonders if Waverly means it the way she hopes it does.  _ My angel?  _ Rosita questions silently. “You’re gonna be the death of me…” 

“Not a chance. I won’t let that happen,” Waverly promises sincerely in the midst of their jokes. 

“Let’s get your answers,” Rosita says, needing the distraction from this. 

Waverly moves to the well. She knocks the lid off cautiously and aims the barrel of the shotgun down at Bobo without hesitation. Rosita leans over and savors the sight of a pitiful, dirty Bobo Del Rey at the mercy of the disgusting well and Waverly’s shotgun.

“You seem to think I'm an angel,” Waverly begins. “Tell me about the night I was born.”

“Oh… that was a happy day. I was on a dig when I heard screaming coming from the Gibson greenhouse. It was Michelle. She was ready to pop! With a little baby Waverly… Your mother begged me to save you… I knew when I saw you when I heard your name. You were different. Michelle had lost a lot of blood. She passed out. And so I took you. To him…”

“Ward…” Waverly reasons.

“I threatened him. I told him… ‘You will take this baby. You will care for it and if I find out you've hurt this angel. I will come for you. And I… will kill you.’” 

Waverly and Rosita roll their eyes in tandem. “You're my hero, Bobo. Or at least you sure make yourself seem like one. But you're leaving out one important detail…”

“Yeah, what's that?”

“You just coincidentally end up at the greenhouse the night my Dad goes missing?

“Missing for some.”

“What? You know where Julian is? Is he still in the Triangle? Alive?

“Storytime's over, little girl. That's information you get when I find myself topside.”

Waverly hears Rosita growl next to her. She glances over at the woman beside her and notices her eyes have gone red and are surrounded by a smokey blackness. She’s angry. So is Waverly. But, Waverly won’t play this. Not anymore. 

““If there's one thing I've learnt in this life…” Waverly reflects

“Yeah?” Bobo prods.

“It's that I'm done playing your games. You're right, Bobo. Storytime's over.” 

She hears the man beg  _ no  _ just before she moves to place the wooden lid back over the well and stomp off towards her Jeep. Rosita is close behind. 

“So your dad is out there somewhere,” Rosita speaks first. 

“Maybe… I never know whether to believe Bobo or not.” 

“He might have made himself more heroic than he was but… I don’t think he was lying.” 

Waverly nods after a second of thought. “Neither do I. My dad… He’s out there somewhere. I mean if he’s an angel… Maybe he’s like… Helping people?” 

“Maybe.”

“What the hell was an angel doing in Purgatory anyway? Having an affair with my mom?” 

Rosita shakes her head and shrugs. 

“I wish you could come back to the homestead with me… And be there for dinner.”

“Me, too, Waves. I really do. I’m sorry I’m--”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Waverly warns. “There’s nothing wrong with you. You didn’t choose this. Everything is fucked but you’re perfect.”

The way Waverly stops her in her tracks and knows exactly what she was going to say takes Rosita completely by surprise. The revelation of Waverly being an honest-to-God angel is catching up with the demon. The reality of an angel being in love with a demon… The impossibility of it all starts to weigh down on Rosita’s chest. 

Even if Waverly cares for her (and Rosita certainly knows she does), an angel and a demon together is some romantic fantasy that will never play out in real life.  _ Never.  _

“I really need to get back to my mom, though. I don’t want Wynonna to go home and see I’m not there.”

“Okay, Waves. I’ll see you tonight. Thank you for asking me to tag along… It’s way better than worrying all day long.” 

Waverly eyes her carefully. “I’m so sorry that’s been your life… I never want you to feel left out or--”

“No, it’s fine. I mostly just get scared something will happen to you and I’ll just be laying around when I could have done something.”

“I’ll drag you along as much as I can now… Promise.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” 

“Please do hold me… to that,” Waverly jokes with a smirk. 

***

Wynonna and Nicole enter the homestead about an hour before they’re supposed to have dinner, both covered in grime and soot from recovering all the original families from that weird factory. 

“Nedley offered you Sheriff, huh?” Wynonna says with a sideways smile. Just last week, Wynonna had been tough on the man and insisted he do just that. 

“Why are you saying that like you knew it was coming?” Nicole asks with a nudge. 

“Maybe, I gave ole Randy a lil smack on the ass last week..”

“What do you mean?” Nicole inquires with a furrowed brow. 

“When he was being a wet wipe about the city manager… I might have suggested he step aside and let someone with a little fire left take over…” 

Nicole reaches out with her hand and stops Wynonna from walking further ahead of her. “Wait, did you really?”

“Yeah, Haught. I mean, it’s pretty clear it’s time for Nedley to retire. He’s tired. Can’t blame him. Who else in that place has even half of a brain cell besides you?”

“Hey! A few of the deputies there aren’t so bad!”

“Uh huh… Anyways, congrats.  _ Sheriff.”  _ Wynonna looks up at Nicole with a mix of pride and…  _ something else.  _

Nicole ducks her head and rolls her lip in between her teeth. “I like the sound of that, Earp.”

“Don’t think this means you can tell me what to do now. Nedley never could and neither can you.”

“I’m going to be the sheriff, not a miracle worker. Don’t worry. I know what it takes to get you to do something.”

Wynonna raises a challenging eyebrow. “We’ll see about that, Haughtpants. Now, we stink. We have to take a shower before dinner tonight.” 

Nicole’s eyebrows raise as high as she can make them. Wynonna’s confused for a moment before she realizes. “You perv. I wasn’t saying we shower together… God, in your dreams…” 

“Go. Shower. I need to make a few more calls for work. Thank you for just… Everything. This town would fall apart without you,” Nicole assures the brunette. “I would have fallen apart a long time ago without you.”

The admission goes straight to Wynonna’s chest. This woman always has everything put so together so well, yet she thanks  _ her  _ for keeping her from falling apart. No one ever looks at Wynonna as the glue… the fixer… but Nicole does. 

“Don’t sweat it, Sheriff. Just doing my job and all that. And hey since maybe you owe me a favor?”

Nicole nods, eyeing her friend suspiciously.

“Can you maybe… Not be so icy with Waves at dinner?” Wynonna begs with a grin. “I know things are… Weird with… All the shit that’s been brought to light, but she’s just trying to do her best. Just like us, okay. I want tonight to be good for her and Mama…”

“I’ll do it for you,” Nicole states matter-of-factly. “Tonight will be perfect. Cross my heart.” 

“Ugh! You’re the best. Okay, I’m going to shower. I think some of your clothes are still here in my room, too. If you wanna go get them ready.” 

*** 

“Nobody leaves this table until you pop a button!” Michelle announces brightly, bringing the canned cranberry sauce that Wynonna swiped from the cop shop earlier over to the dinner table. 

Waverly sits next to Wynonna who sits next to Nicole on her other side. Doc sits between Nicole and Jeremy. 

“So… Are you okay?” Doc asks Wynonna. 

Earlier, the man had tried to kiss Wynonna again only to be pushed away. Then, he practically begged her to tell him that she loved him. She didn’t. She doesn’t love him  _ that way.  _ As much as she thought she could… As much as she feels like she  _ should,  _ she just doesn’t. She’s known for some time now and thought Doc knew it. 

“You said you would call when you--”

“Nicole was there. We took care of it,” Wynonna says coolly. 

Nicole smiles softly looking to her best friend and then back at the man beside her. 

“So that is it, then…” Doc says with a slow nod. What Jolene said comes back to his mind ringing clear as day.  _ No wonder the moment that tall, strong redhead was available, she’d hop right on it! _

Nicole narrows her eyes. She finds Waverly trying to make sense of it all in the same moment she does exactly the same. 

“I can’t believe we’re all together for Christmas!” Waverly calls trying to break the tension building between Wynonna and Doc. 

“Well… Most of us…” Wynonna comments sadly. 

“Hey…” Nicole beckons softly, raising her glass. “To fallen comrades…”

“To  _ Sheriff  _ Haughtpants!” Wynonna replies with a smile. 

“To very alive, not ghosting boyfriends!” Jeremy adds his own in. 

Doc rises from the table. “I have to go.” 

“On Christmas?!” Waverly nearly shouts with a pitiful pout. 

The man leaves without another word. 

“I’ll go try to bring him back…” Waverly declares. 

“You’re not going anywhere, little one. We’ve got to have dinner and you can chase after angsty cowboys later. If he doesn’t want my food… He can bite me!” Michelle decrees. 

***

Rosita opens the door to see Waverly standing there with an overnight bag, a plate with aluminum foil wrapped around it, a gift, and… a guitar case? Part of the revenant--the largest part of her--really can’t believe that this is actually happening. Waverly is at her door, spending Christmas night with her… The whole night. The Earp’s family knows where she is and the revenant is still very much alive. 

“I brought you a plate.” The newly-discovered angel holds it out for Rosita to take. “I wasn’t sure what you liked. There’s turkey… Mama actually killed it this morning, so it’s fresh.”

“Thank you, Waves. I haven’t had a Christmas dinner since… It’s been a while. I appreciate it.”

“It’s the least I can do since you couldn’t be there. Maybe next year we can have it at Shorty’s or something.”

_ Next year.  _ Waverly is planning for there to be a next year and Rosita is included in the plan. She really thinks that next year things will be at a place where she can have Christmas dinner with her family… 

“That’d be cool. I know tons of Christmas cocktails. I used to work every Christmas because I never had any plans. I can make it a fun time,” Rosita jokes. 

“Not to sound like a little kid. But can we do presents?!” Waverly bounces lightly on her heels.

“You didn’t get me a guitar did you? That was an overestimate of my talents…”

“No, silly! This is  _ my  _ guitar. I play!” Waverly  _ tsks.  _ “You’ll seeeeee why I brought it!” 

Rosita feels a tingle start at the base of her neck and travel down to her lower back. Is this part of her gift? Seeing Waverly play the guitar… Rosita can only imagine how hard it will be  _ not  _ to kiss her after that. 

“Who do you want to give first?” Rosita asks. 

“You decide. It’s your first Christmas with some company in a long time, right? I want you to have the Christmas night you always wanted -- as much as I can give to you, that is,” Waverly says. 

“I’ll give you yours first, then.” Rosita needs to give herself some time to prepare for Waverly’s gift to her. “Go sit on the couch. I’ll be right back.” 

Waverly obliges, setting her guitar case on the couch beside her and the gift on the coffee table. Rosita reappears with a large-ish, thin rectangle wrapped in beautiful pink paper and a small gift bag. 

“Open the bag first. Save the best--I hope--for last,” Rosita instructs. 

Waverly obliges again. Reaching into the bag, she pulls out a bag of coffee. It’s branded with the coffee place they’d gone to after the first night Waverly spent with Rosita. Waverly’s eyes disappear with her smile. “Rosie! This is so cute! The place we went to! It was such good coffee! Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, Waves. We can make some in the morning if you want.”

“Yeah, that’ll be so cute! You’re so sweet.” When Waverly’s green eyes reappear, they seem to be shining and Rosita melts. 

“Open the next one,” Rosita urges softly. She sounds more unsure about this one. 

Waverly has no clue what she’s going to see when she starts ripping at the paper. Almost immediately, she loses her breath and feels her chest tighten. Her heart beats so quickly, she can feel it thrumming in her neck and hear it in her ears. 

In a nice frame, there’s a piece of art Waverly  _ knows  _ Rosita had done… of  _ her.  _ Waverly thinks she looks beautiful like this. The way that Rosita brought her to life on the page…  _ Is this how she sees me?  _ Waverly wonders. The person on the page is undoubtedly the youngest Earp, but she looks so…  _ perfect.  _ Waverly doesn’t take her eyes off of it as she studies it closely, noting every blemish and imperfection is perfectly depicted, but none of them look like flaws.  _ How did she do this?  _

“Do you like it?” Rosie asks. 

Green eyes find the woman still standing in front of Waverly. Rosita’s beautiful brown eyes are pleading with Waverly to  _ please say yes.  _ There’s no need for that, though. 

“I love it, Rosie… I-- You did this?”

Rosita nods.

“It’s beautiful. You’re so talented… You make me look-- It’s beautiful and perfect. Thank you so, so much!” Waverly stands and walks over to Rosita, taking the woman into a tight embrace. “Thank you,” she repeats more quietly. 

Rosita allows her eyes to fall closed as she holds the small woman tightly against her body. “You’re welcome, Waves. It was easy to draw you. You inspire me so much.” 

“I do?” 

“Of course you do, angel. You’re literally an angel… Who wouldn’t be inspired?” Rosita pokes fun. 

“Tons of people… But they don’t matter,” Waverly decides.

Rosita pulls back and their faces are so close yet again.  _ You can’t kiss her. It’ll never work out. She’s an angel. You’re a demon. Stop kidding yourself.  _ Rosita slips out of Waverly’s arms and ducks her head towards the other woman. “My turn?” 

Waverly brings her palm to her forehead briefly. “Duh! Okay… Yeah, here! Open this first!” Waverly grabs the bag from the table and hands it to her friend. 

The bag is a little bigger and heavier than the one with the coffee in it. Rosita’s hands find it and she guesses what it is the moment before she pulls the garment from the bag. It’s a new jean jacket, different from the one that Waverly stole from Rosita. The older woman laughs. 

“I know you have like a million clothes, but I thought it would be funny to get you a jacket I bought for you since I decided the other one was mine.”

“It’s great. I’ll wear it so much, Waves. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Time for your next gift!” Waverly announces brightly. 

“My next gift? The bag’s empty…”

“It’s not something you can actually have or hold… It’s the whole guitar thing. I thought I would… Sing you a song? I always really liked this song, but it just… Means something different now.”

“You’re going to…  _ sing?” _ This is so much worse…  _ better?  _ than Rosita could have ever dreamed. Waverly is going to sing her a song… With her guitar. 

“Yeah! Is that dumb?” 

“No! Waverly, please! No, it’s so… I’m so excited! No one’s ever sung me a song before.”

Waverly tilts her head doubtfully. “I find that impossible to believe.”

“They haven’t, Waverly. I swear.”

“Okay, then sit down on the couch. On that side…” Waverly points. “...so when I sit down the guitar isn’t in your way.”

It’s Rosita’s turn to follow Waverly’s orders which she does gladly. 

Waverly reaches into her guitar case and pulls out her instrument before taking her place on the other end of the couch. It takes her a moment to make sure the guitar is in tune and another moment to gather herself and catch her breath.

Then she starts to play… and then, sing. 

_ All I ever wanted was something classic _ _   
_ _ The kinda love song that goes on 'til the end of time _ _   
_ _ All I ever wanted was a little magic _ _   
_ _ With a good laugh, jet-black sparkle in her eyes _

_ You're my velvet Elvis _ _   
_ _ I ain't never gonna take you down _ _   
_ _ Making everybody jealous _ _   
_ _ When they step into my house _ _   
_ _ Soft to the touch, feels like love _ _   
_ _ Knew it as soon as I felt it _ _   
_ _ You're my velvet Elvis, baby _

_ I don't really care 'bout the Mona Lisa _ _   
_ _ I need a Graceland woman who's always on my mind _ _   
_ _ I wanna show you off every evening _ _   
_ _ Go out with you in powder blue and tease my hair up high _

_ You're my velvet Elvis _ _   
_ _ I ain't never gonna take you down _ _   
_ _ Making everybody jealous _ _   
_ _ When they step into my house _ _   
_ _ Soft to the touch, feels like love _ _   
_ _ Knew it as soon as I felt it _ _   
_ _ You're my velvet Elvis, baby _ _   
_ _ You're my velvet Elvis, baby _

_ I knew it as soon as I felt it _ _   
_ _ Mm-mm, I knew it as soon as I felt it _ _   
_ _ Yeah _

_ You're my velvet Elvis _ _   
_ _ I ain't never gonna take you down _ _   
_ _ Making everybody jealous _ _   
_ _ When they step into my house _ _   
_ _ Soft to the touch, feels like love _ _   
_ _ Knew it as soon as I felt it _ __   
_ You're my velvet Elvis, baby _ _   
_ __ You're my velvet Elvis, baby, yeah

Rosita hangs onto every single word.  _ Velvet Elvis.  _ Waverly sings the song so beautifully. Rosita’s never heard it before, but if she didn’t know any better, she would think Waverly wrote specifically for…

_ No, she didn’t. Not for you. Stop. Stop. Stop. She’s not singing to you. That’s how  _ you _ feel about  _ her.  _ It’s not how she feels about you. Say something, Bustillos.  _

“Waverly…”

“Yeah?”

“That was…”

“Terrible?” Waverly asks with a cute wince. 

“Waves, c’mon… I-- I don’t know what to say I just--” 

“You don’t have to say anything you’re not ready to say,” Waverly promises. “I just have been listening to the song on repeat since-- And it makes me think of you every time. I hope it’s not weird or too much. I just really felt like I might explode if I didn’t sing it to you soon.”

Rosita struggles to take in the words. It definitely sounds like Waverly means it in a way that would be… “You…” Rosita takes a deep breath. 

“Me?” Waverly asks. She really needs Rosita to say something…  _ more,  _ but she does mean what she said. If Rosita can’t say anything… It’s okay. It would always be okay. Waverly moves to put her guitar back in its case and turn towards Rosita on the couch. 

“You’re amazing, Waverly Earp. You are  _ so…  _ amazing. Thank you.” 

“Merry Christmas, Rosie.”

“Merry Christmas, Waves.” 


	12. she's got a way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly spends Christmas night with Rosita.

Waverly goes to put her bag and her guitar away in the bedroom while Rosita goes to warm up the food she’d brought for her. Being in Rosita’s room again feels different. It’s comfortable and safe and she feels like she can breathe again. At the same time, it makes her nervous.

She can’t seem to stop thinking about the dream Rosie had, despite not really knowing anything about it. Most of all, she can’t stop thinking about how badly she wants to make it real. Whatever it was. 

Waverly comes back into the living room and smiles at Rosita still getting her food ready in the kitchen. 

“Are you sure you don’t want anything? Feels weird eating and you’re not.” Rosita says, coming into the living room and sitting down on the couch. 

“No, god, mama basically told us we weren’t allowed up from the table til we were stuffed, so.” Waverly shakes her head and puffs out her cheeks in a cute way that makes Rosita laugh. 

Waverly loves how her laugh sounds and how it makes Rosie’s cheeks do that perfect, adorable thing. Waverly melts. How could she not? 

“Oh, damn, forgot to get something to drink…” Rosie says, putting her plate down on the coffee table. 

“Oh, let me. I’ll get it.” Waverly says sweetly, touching Rosita’s thigh as she stands up. 

Rosita’s breath catches with Waverly’s hand on her leg. She feels her cheeks getting red and she misses the touch immediately when it’s taken from her. God, the hold this woman has on her… 

“What would the lady like?” Waverly asks from the kitchen, mimicking a British accent and holding the refrigerator door open to look inside. 

Rosita laughs softly and shakes her head, feeling her heart swell once again for the adorable goof standing in her kitchen, for the perfect angel standing in her kitchen. 

“The lady would like red wine.” Rosita does her best version of the same accent, gaining a beautiful and loud laugh from the youngest Earp. 

“Okay, okay, coming right up.” Waverly grins, her eyes in crescent moon shapes as she takes out the wine and easily finds two glasses. 

Rosita doesn’t miss the way Waverly can pretty much move around her kitchen effortlessly at this point. She’s obviously paid attention and memorized things during her other visits. It makes Rosita feel…  _ special _ .

Waverly pours their glasses and Rosita makes herself turn on the TV and start flipping through Christmas movies instead of just staring at her. 

“Oooh, what’re we watching?” Waverly asks when she returns, setting the glasses down carefully on the table in front of them. 

“No clue… what do you think? Do you have a favorite Christmas movie?” Rosie picks her plate up again and crosses her legs, taking her first bite. 

“ _ Unlikely Angel,  _ which seems pretty ironic now.” Waverly laughs. “Wynonna and I watched it together the other day for the first time in a while. We used to all the time when we were younger. She’d run away from whatever foster home she was in at the time and climb in my window.” Waverly looks like she’s happily lost in the memory, even if it isn’t perfect. 

“Wynonna was in… foster care?” Rosita asks softly. She hadn’t had much time to get to know either of the Earp girls that well before. Waverly hadn’t gotten around to talking about the past too much in the time they’d spent together since. 

“Yeah, sorry for rambling.” 

“No, Waves, don’t be sorry. You can talk about whatever you want, okay?” Rosita places a hand on Waverly’s knee. 

“I know, Rosie… I know.” Waverly smiles, resting her hand over Rosita’s and brushing her thumb back and forth. 

“I didn’t know that, though. Wynonna’s really… been through a lot, hasn’t she? You both have.” Rosita comments, feeling sickening guilt wash over her again. 

“Yeah, we have. Especially her, though. It’s… hard and I think it kind of always will be but –– that’s something we can talk about another time. Tonight, let’s be happy. Okay?” 

Rosita nods and offers her a pretty smile. “Okay, angel.” 

The nickname (that’s a little more than a nickname now) makes Waverly’s heart flutter. She lets her hand slide away from Rosita’s and takes over the remote so that she can go back to eating. 

“Is it good?” Waverly asks, leaning back against the cushions and flipping through the movies. 

“More than. Your mom is really good at cooking, Waves.” Rosita compliments and Waverly can tell it’s sincere. It makes her happy to watch Rosita enjoy it. 

“Well, I’m glad. You deserve it. Also, I don’t think we’re gonna find  _ Unlikely Angel _ on here, so… what’s _ your _ favorite Christmas movie?” 

“It’s definitely  _ The Grinch.”  _ Rosita shakes her head. 

Waverly looks over at her with wide eyes and finds that she looks serious. She pulls her pursed lips to the side and squints at Rosie, who breaks a moment later. 

“I knew you were joking!” 

“Why?! What if I wasn’t? What’s wrong with  _ The Grinch _ ?” 

“Well, nothing! But you’re so… romantic and sweet I know it has to be something like that! Not just the silly Grinch!” 

Rosita finds herself feeling grateful for this woman once again. She hasn’t been able to laugh this freely in so long and hasn’t had someone who genuinely makes her feel like laughing since… well, since the last time she was with Waverly. 

“Okay, fine, you got me. It’s  _ Love Actually _ . Or maybe  _ Carol _ , but I don’t know if that counts... ” 

“See!”

“I know! I said you got me!” 

“Oh, Rosie, that’s so sweet. ” Waverly says dreamily, her hand resting over her heart. 

Rosita rolls her eyes playfully and goes back to eating. 

“Wynonna loves  _ Carol _ by the way, so you guys have something else in common.” 

“What’s the other thing?” Rosita questions, lifting an eyebrow at the younger woman. 

“You’d both do anything in the world for me.” Waverly says it matter of factly, like she didn’t even have to think about it. It hits Rosita right in the center of her chest. 

“I… yeah, you’re – you’re right.” Rosita says softly. They share a moment where they’re just looking at one another before they each look away. Waverly finds  _ Carol  _ on Netflix and puts it on a moment later. 

During the movie, Waverly curls herself under Rosita’s arm and rests her head on her shoulder. When it’s over, she almost doesn’t want to move and Rosita definitely doesn’t want her to. They sit like that through the credits until Rosita jolts slightly. 

“Oh, Waves, I almost forgot!” Rosita shifts enough to stand up from the couch, leaving Waverly to slump against the pillows she’d be resting against. 

“What?” Waverly’s eyebrows pull together as she watches Rosita start digging through the fridge.

She stands up and follows after her, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed. Rosita pulls out several ingredients and sits them on the counter. For a moment, Waverly is confused until Rosita pulls some cookie cutters and food coloring out of a bag on her counter. 

“I… wanted us to make Christmas cookies, so I got stuff to make vegan ones. Is that really lame?” Rosita scrunches up her nose and bites her lip as she looks at the slightly taller woman. 

Waverly feels like she could take Rosita’s face in her hands and kiss her right now. 

“Rosita…” Waverly breathes her name so sweetly, it sounds like some kind of prayer. 

Rosie’s face softens immediately and her eyebrows lift. “Yeah?” 

“It’s perfect. You’re –– you’re so thoughtful. Seriously, that’s the sweetest thing. I’d… I’d really love to make Christmas cookies with you.” Waverly tells her, twisting one of the rings on her finger nervously. 

Rosita’s grin is wide and she gives Waverly a cute nod. “Okay. Okay good. Good! Let’s!” 

Rosita’s excitement gets Waverly to giggle. They move around the kitchen together, rolling up their sleeves and washing their hands and getting everything ready. Rosita sets up her phone with the recipe and they take turns measuring things, following each step with care. 

Rosita can’t stop herself from imagining what it would be like to share a space with Waverly all the time. In so many years of living, nobody has ever made her feel the way this woman does. Nothing has ever been this  _ easy _ . 

While the cookies are baking, the two of them start to prepare and dye the icing. It doesn’t take very long for them to bake, the long part is just waiting for them to cool. Waverly turns on some music from her phone and they dance around and sing along in a silly way while they wait. 

“Oh! Rosie, when we’re finished can we –– can we maybe slow dance again?” Waverly bites her lip and clasps her hands together when she asks. 

Waverly Earp must know by now that denying her anything is one of the only things Rosita could never do. She knows that, right? 

“Of course, Waves. Whatever you want.” Rosita smiles brightly, even though her heart feels like it’s going to pound out of her chest. 

Dancing with Waverly last time had been so perfect. So sweet and intimate. Rosita had thought about it every single day since. No way is she going to let the opportunity to do it again get by her. 

When the cookies are cool, the women begin to decorate them, taking time to show one another after finishing each one. At the beginning, Rosita makes Waverly agree that they’d each make one for the other person and surprise them at the end. 

When that time comes, Waverly holds up a pretty snowflake one she spent extra time decorating with blue and white icing and sprinkles that look like glitter. 

“This one is the special one I made for you.” She sits it on the napkin in front of Rosita and the Revenant looks up at her with soft brown eyes and a sweet smile. A second later, she laughs. 

“What?! You don’t like it?” Waverly looks offended and almost sad. 

“Oh, Waves! No, no… I love it. It’s perfect, you just –- have icing on your nose, you – god, you look so cute.” Rosita wraps her arms around Waverly and pulls her closer.

Waverly’s cheeks redden and she feels warm all over when she’s pulled into the embrace. Being against Rosita, in her arms, feels better than anything ever has. 

“Here…” Rosita’s voice shifts, going a little lower as she reaches out and wipes the icing off of Waverly’s nose with a single finger. 

The older woman brings that same finger to her own lips, darting her tongue out enough to taste the blue icing. Waverly’s eyes widen dramatically and her jaw drops before she can get a hold of herself and close it. She shakes her head, closing her eyes tight and laughing at how silly she must seem. Rosita is just so sexy, and so close… 

“Well, the icing is good, so…” Rosita comments, tilting her head a little and letting her hand slide slowly away from Waverly’s hip. 

Waverly feels the loss immediately, sighing as she steps back out of Rosita’s space. “Right, then. Show me the one you made for me.” 

Rosita looks like maybe she almost forgot before she reaches over to her side of the counter and brings up the cookie she’d decorated for Waverly. It’s an angel, pieced together, but somehow it still looks perfect. 

“I broke some off of another snowflake and stuck them to a gingerbread man. I had to make an angel for my angel. Does it look stupid?” Rosita asks softly, looking up at Waverly through her lashes. 

“I’m starting to think you just like hearing me tell you things are perfect.” Waverly breathes, taking the cookie from her gently and looking at it better. 

It is perfect, because Rosita made it. 

“Well, yeah… but I do really want things to be perfect for you.” 

_ You’re perfect for me, _ Waverly thinks. 

“They are. When I’m with you. The cookie is perfect, Rosie.” Waverly settles for that answer. She doesn’t want to say too much too soon. “Can we take pictures of them before we eat them?” Waverly asks, moving to grab her phone with her free hand. 

They take turns taking pictures of one another with the cookies and then together. Waverly can’t stop smiling. She already knows she’ll spend way too much time looking at these pictures when she can’t be with Rosita. 

“Send them to me.” Rosita says to Waverly over her shoulder as she starts to move stuff into the sink to be cleaned up. 

When the kitchen is cleaned and too many of the cookies are eaten, Waverly takes Rosita’s hand and leads her into the open space they’d used for dancing last time. She leaves her standing there and goes over to her collection of records. 

“Oh, you’re gonna do it?” Rosita smirks, her arms crossed over her chest. 

“Is that okay? I probably should’ve asked…” 

“Waves, it’s more than okay. You can do whatever you want here.” 

Waverly sort of hopes that Rosita misses how hard those words hit her. She takes a deep, shaky breath and gives Rosita a small nod before turning back to the records. Her eyes land on the one Etta James record in Rosita’s box and she lets her fingers brush against the sleeve.  _ At Last!  _ by Etta James. 

That song had come on one day when Waverly was listening to music alone in her bedroom and ever since, she hadn’t been able to make herself stop thinking about kissing Rosita while it was playing. They’d be doing something like this and it would be perfect. Right now, she could put the record on and bring her fantasy to life. See where this thing goes. 

But Rosita hadn’t said much after she sang  _ Velvet Elvis _ and everything after that that could’ve been romantic could’ve also just been friendly… couldn’t it? Maybe she’s misreading everything. 

Waverly sighs and moves on to the next record. Finally, she chooses Billy Joel’s  _ Cold Spring Harbor _ album and puts it on the turntable. She likes some of his songs and knows they can probably dance to them, so she doesn’t bother looking at what’s actually on the album before she puts it on. 

The first song that starts to play on her way back to Rosita is  _ She’s Got a Way.  _ Waverly winces, feeling her whole body go rigid. This happens to be one of the songs she knows well, so she knows exactly how romantic it is and how much it  _ fits _ . 

_ She's got a way about her _ _   
_ _ I don't know what it is _ _   
_ _ But I know that I can't live without her _

Waverly almost starts to feel embarrassed. Like she’s made a mistake. If she’s really misreading everything, this will just make her look desperate. But Rosita’s hands are reaching out and she’s smiling so beautifully when she pulls Waverly against her chest and wraps her arm around her waist. 

_ She's got a way of pleasin', mmh _ _   
_ _ I don't know what it is _ _   
_ _ But there doesn't have to be a reason _ _   
_ _ Anyway _

Their fingers intertwine easily and without really having to think about it, they’re moving together to the song. 

_ She's got a smile that heals me, mmh _ _   
_ _ I don't know why it is _ _   
_ _ But I have to laugh when she reveals me _ _   
_ _ She's got a way of talkin', mmh _ _   
_ _ I don't know what it is _ _   
_ _ But it lifts me up when we are walkin' _ _   
_ _ Anywhere _

Rosita hums along with the music and holds their intertwined hands close to her chest, the same way she had last time they danced. Rosita twirls her under her arm and brings her back against her chest, making Waverly grin. 

_ She comes to me when I'm feelin' down _ _   
_ _ Inspires me without a sound _ _   
_ _ She touches me and I get turned around _ _   
_ _ She's got a way of showin', mmh _ _   
_ _ How I make her feel _ _   
_ _ And I find the strength to keep on goin' _ _   
_ _ She's got a light around her, ooh _ _   
_ _ And everywhere she goes _ _   
_ _ A million dreams of love surround her _ _   
_ _ Everywhere _

Rosita knows she’s probably making things up, but the way Waverly is looking at her while they dance feels different this time. Rosita moves from humming the words of the song to singing them quietly, only to Waverly. Testing the waters.

They sway and spin and move together perfectly, both of their bodies perfectly in tune to this song that says… everything Rosita wishes she could say to Waverly. 

_ She comes to me when I'm feelin' down _ _   
_ _ Inspires me without a sound _ _   
_ _ She touches me and I get turned around, ooh, oho _ _   
_ _ She's got a smile that heals me, mmh _ _   
_ _ I don't know why it is _ _   
_ _ But I have to laugh when she reveals me _

Waverly looks up into Rosita’s eyes and her fingers press a little more into her shoulder. Rosita is right there, looking back at her. This isn’t the song, but the way she feels… the emotions start welling up inside of her. The look in Rosita’s eyes seems to beg her to know that this is real, that she isn’t imagining anything. But how can she be sure? 

Instead of pulling her in and kissing her the way she wants, Waverly lays her head gently against Rosita’s chest and sighs, closing her eyes and breathing in the smell of her as they sway and she sings along to the ending of the song. 

_ She's got a way about her, mmh _ _   
_ _ I don't know what it is _ __   
_ But I know that I can't live without her _ _   
_ __ Anyway, hey

They dance through all of the songs on the first side of the record. They laugh and act silly and talk some, too. It seems like forever and not long at all. All that Waverly knows by the end of it is that every song made her realize more and more how she feels for Rosita--how deep that feeling goes, even if it scares her. 

By the time the record stops, Rosita feels like she’s going to cry. Every song hit so deep, makes her feel the way love songs are supposed to make you feel. She’s never listened to this album and felt that way before. 

_ You shouldn’t feel this way _ , she reminds herself.  _ You’re a demon, she’s an angel. You can never have her. She’ll never love you.  _

“Are you okay, Rosie?” Waverly asks, taking Rosita’s face in her hands when she comes back from putting the record away. 

Rosita softens with Waverly’s hands on her face and leans into the sweet touch, breathing in through her nose and nodding gently. “I – yeah. I’m okay, Waves. Just sleepy I guess.” 

“Well, let’s – let’s go to bed, then.” Waverly can’t hide the grin that saying that brings out. 

The grin from Waverly makes Rosita smile, too and she turns out the lights as they head towards her bedroom. 

Rosita doesn’t even ask Waverly if she wants to wear her clothes, she just pulls out an old t-shirt and some little shorts and hands them over to her. The half-angel has to do her best not to squeal. 

“Why do you look so happy, they’re just pajamas.” Rosita laughs softly. 

“Yeah, well, they’re  _ your _ pajamas. Didn’t you say you liked seeing me in your clothes?” 

“Yeah, I do, that’s why I handed them to you.” 

“Well, I like wearing them. And they’re comfy. And this is all… exciting. It just makes me happy. Being with you.” 

“It makes me happy, too, Waves. I like hearing you talk about it.” Rosita bites her lip to hide her smile before stepping out of the room to go change in the bathroom. 

Waverly watches her go and sighs, rubbing her face when she’s standing alone in Rosita’s room. She can’t shake the stupid grin from her face or stop the chills of excitement that course through her. She undresses and redresses in Rosita’s clothes as quickly as she can. With the smell of this perfect woman washing over her completely, she feels a little more relaxed. 

She’s shoving her worn clothes back into her bag when Rosita knocks softly at the door. “Can I come in?” Her voice sounds sweetly through the wood and Waverly feels like she could die. 

“Yeah, I’m decent.” Waverly smirks, finishing up and standing. 

“Well, you’re more than decent, but…” Rosita is staring when Waverly turns back to her and it makes her giggle. 

Her laugh subsides and she just feels warmth spreading through her when Rosita adjusts the hem of her own shirt, exposing what’s underneath briefly. No shorts or pajama pants, just a pair of purple underwear that look breathtaking against Rosita’s skin. The big t-shirt falls back into place a second later and Waverly remembers what breathing is. 

“You look cute in that.” 

“It’s just pajamas.” Waverly mocks Rosita’s tone from before. 

“Yeah, but it’s  _ my _ pajamas.” Rosita steals Waverly’s defense and it makes her feel even weaker. 

Waverly rolls her eyes and shakes her head on her way to the door. She stops in the doorway and turns back to Rosita with her lip between her teeth. “Did you brush while you were in there changing or… do you wanna do it together?” 

“You want me to brush my teeth with you?” Rosita asks, sounding incredibly soft. 

“Is that weird? I just… don’t mind. If you don’t.” 

“No, Waves… it’s not weird. I don’t mind.” Rosita answers her, feeling… everything rushing around inside of her chest. 

They brush their teeth and wash their faces together with complete ease. It comes as no surprise to Rosita and she feels the same thought creeping in from earlier… about how nice it could be to always do this with Waverly. 

Rosita pulls back the covers on the bed and climbs in on her side, never taking her eyes off of Waverly as she plugs her phone in. 

“Do you need me to plug yours in?” Waverly asks, gesturing to Rosita’s phone lying somewhere off to the side on her nightstand. 

“Nah, it’s okay. I don’t need it if you’re here with me.” 

Waverly rolls her lips together and bites at the inside of her cheek to try and suppress the way that makes her want to grin. She climbs into bed next to Rosita and sighs as soon as she’s between the sheets. 

“Comfy?” Rosita chuckles, settling on her side so that she can look into Waverly’s eyes. 

“Mmm, yeah, you have the comfiest bed.” 

Rosita is quiet for a moment, just smiling softly and looking at Waverly. A little bit of light comes in dimly through the window and the rest of the room is dark. Ever since she was little, Waverly has had a bit of a hard time sleeping in complete darkness and after everything with Jolene those fears had come running back in full force. Here in Rosita’s bed, though, she feels safe and comfortable, even in the dark. 

“What are you thinking about?” Waverly asks quietly, shifting a little closer to Rosie. Their faces are close and Waverly can feel Rosita’s breath on her lips. It pulls her gaze to Rosita’s mouth and the subtle smile she’s still wearing. 

“Just… thank you for this. For spending Christmas with me. C’mere… ” Rosita says finally, reaching out and wrapping an arm around Waverly’s waist. 

Waverly lets herself be pulled into Rosita’s arms easily. A soft sound escapes her as she settles, breathing in Rosita’s pretty smell and feeling her cold body begin to warm. Her head rests against Rosita’s chest and she nudges her nose against her neck by accident. 

Rosita has to bite her lip to keep in the sound she almost makes. “Your nose is cold.” She laughs softly instead, brushing her hand lightly over Waverly’s back until it’s resting on the back of her head. 

“I’m always cold, remember?” 

“I won’t let you be, not if I can help it.” 

Waverly smiles against Rosita’s chest, adjusting enough so that she can look up at her. “You got onto me for thanking you last time and now you’re thanking me.” Waverly whispers, letting her hand come up to fix the necklace Rosita is wearing. 

Rosita falters again with Waverly’s fingers against her chest, even through the fabric of her shirt. Rosita brings her hand up to brush some hair out of Waverly’s face and tuck in behind her ears. Her hand rests against her cheek and all she wants to do is take her perfect face in her hands and kiss her. 

“It’s different.” 

“How so?” 

“You gave me something I haven’t had in a long, long time. Made me feel really special. Happy.” 

“And what do you think you keep doing for me?” Waverly asks, even though her voice shakes. 

Rosita swallows the knot in her throat. Dark eyes find perfect lips and her eyes linger there for longer than they probably should. For a moment, she’s almost convinced herself that she should just do it. She even leans in, but finds herself pressing her lips against Waverly’s forehead instead. 

Waverly stops breathing entirely. The kiss against her head makes her warm all the way to her toes. Her hand at Rosita’s chest clutches at the fabric there and her eyes close tight. She completely melts into the feeling of Rosita’s lips on her skin again, even if it’s different this time. 

“I’m glad you’re here.” Rosita says softly, her lips barely moving away from Waverly’s skin. 

Waverly moves back closer, settling against Rosita’s chest again and wrapping her arm around her middle. She stays quiet until she’s settled comfortably in Rosita’s arms and then nods. “Me too. I’m glad I’m here, too.” Waverly promises, her fingers twisting in the fabric at Rosita’s back. 

Their bare legs twist together under the sheets, their bodies fitting like puzzle pieces. Rosita wonders how two people can fit together so perfectly, wonders if Waverly fits this well against anyone else’s body. She doesn’t want to think about it if she does. Right now, she just wants to pretend that she can have her. That this angel will love a demon the way she knows that she loves her. 

Rosita’s fingers thread through Waverly’s hair scratching lightly at the back of her head. Eventually, her breathing evens out and Rosita knows she’s fallen asleep. The soft sounds she starts to make only confirms it further. It makes Rosita smile, her cheek resting against the top of Waverly’s head. 

She lays there in the dark for so long just holding her, running her fingers through her hair and over her back. Listening to the sound of her breathing and feeling it against her neck. Rosie repeats the motions, over and over until she’s finally pulled under by sleep. 


End file.
